By David Williams
Joe Allen will not be risked by Swansea City simply to strengthen their chances of extending their hot winning streak to four matches.
Swans head coach Russell Martin has insisted Wales midfielder Allen will not be rushed back after his recent absence through injury, which is good news for Wales ahead of next month’s World Cup.
After picking up the maximum nine points with consecutive triumphs over Hull, West Brom and Watford, Martin is likely to give Allen another week to recover from his latest hamstring niggle rather than play him against Sunderland at home on Saturday.
“We want Joe back as quickly as possible, but we have to be careful with him. We have to pick the right moment for his return,” said Martin.
“He has trained but that is different to playing in the way we want to play.
“He’ll be part of the conversation for selection for Sunderland, but it’s more likely to be next week rather than this for his return.”
With the World Cup in Qatar only a month away, Wales boss Rob Page will be delighted with the caution showed by Martin with one of his major midfield assets.
The 32-year-old has only featured in three of Wales’ nine games this year due to injuries and his experience and energy will be vital in the opening Group B game in Qatar against the USA on 21 November.
Allen managed a mere 31 minutes in the three-game winning streak at the start of the 3-0 home win over Hull and so Swansea have had to manage without him.
But Martin can’t wait to have both Allen and Jamie Paterson back fully fit and firing to boost his side’s chance of remaining in the play-off places.
“We’ve spoken about needing everyone available. Some players put in a huge shift on Wednesday night and Sunderland have had an extra day to prepare, having played at home on Tuesday night,” said Martin, who saw his side win at the death at Watford in midweek.
“We want to put out a team that is capable of playing with the same energy and intensity as in the last two games.
“Jamie Paterson is now in the late stage of his rehab after a groin problem and is getting closer and closer.
“We’re really close to him being able to move on from it. It has been really frustrating for him not being able to deliver the best version of himself on the pitch.”
With 13 points from their past six games, the Swans are now one of the in-form teams in the division, behind only Norwich City and Sheffield United during that period.
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Swansea City and Sunderland haven’t faced each other outside of the Premier League since 1980!
They meet at the Liberty Stadium this afternoon. #CCP | #Swans #SAFC pic.twitter.com/jlhrcBeNEe
— The Championship Chat Podcast (@Champchatpod24) October 8, 2022
But Sunderland have also had an impressive start to the season following their promotion from League One and sit just a point and two places behind Swansea.
“The easiest trap to fall into after the last two games for us is that we go in thinking we are going to win,” he said.
“When you achieve what they did [promotion from League One], it builds a certain spirit, they’ve got that in abundance.
“Tony [Mowbray] has gone in there as manager, and he’s obviously tweaked a few bits, but they still play with the same intensity and energy.
“We’ve watched quite a bit of them, and I’ve really liked what I have seen. They have lots of really good footballers.
“One guy I’ve played with is Alex Pritchard. On his day he can be a really top performer, and Sunderland as a team have a good togetherness.
“I think the best thing about them is they’ve kept the momentum they had from League One and they’ve come into the Championship with no fear at all, which is really refreshing to see.
“So, we are going to need the energy and intensity we showed in our recent games, and hopefully with plenty of people through the door the players can feed off what I am sure will be a brilliant atmosphere.”