The Cherries have always got the win when they've most needed it

There is more than just three points riding on the Swansea away match. A win for AFCB would not only halt the dour away from, it would start to allow the team to think more positively about the fixtures going into the New Year.

There have been times this season when you wondered are AFCB going to be battling it out in the bottom half. Defeats to Middlesbrough and Sunderland were early warning signs that things were not as good as they could be and yet Eddie Howe's side would then go and win against teams like Liverpool, Everton and Leicester City. It has been a bit topsy-turvy in terms of the results and it's difficult to put a finger on exactly why that is. 

AFCB's back four will want to try and get a shut out against Swansea City.

The important factor to note though is that when the chips have been down and AFCB have really needed a result they've tended to pull a three-pointer out of the bag. That has kept them fairly out of trouble in the table, but there are teams around them now that have been stringing more than a point or two in consecutive games, and that is what the Cherries need to start doing. The Swansea game will be very attacking from both sides though and it may just come down to who puts away their chances, as there could be lots of opportunities at both ends in this one. Neither side has been super tight in defence and with AFCB letting in 12 goals from their last five games and Swansea City conceding 15 from their last five, you'd imagine the keepers might be a bit busy in this game.

Pulling out a win at this stage of the season would take AFCB to seven wins and within touching sight of a few home wins to be safe, but the league is tight because so many of the teams are not finding any consistency. One factor AFCB do not wasn't to lose though is their ability to pick up a win just when they most need it, and this Saturday is one of those matches in my book. 

Probable AFCB team: 4-4-1-1 Boruc (GK), Francis (RB), S Cook (CD), Aké (CD), Daniels (Lb), Stanislas (RM), Arter (CD), Surman (CD), King (LM), Wilshere (FW), C Wilson (FW)

Subs
Bench: Federici, B Smith, Mings, Gosling, Fraser, Ibe, Afobe

The Cherry Chimes' Newsletter is out tomorrow.

Cherry Chimes' January Newsletter brings you the best stories on the blog and the thoughts behind them from last month, plus there is a special Newsletter article entitled: Should AFCB cash in on Callum Wilson in January?

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You can read my answers as the opposition to the Swansea SOS Fanzine on this link