Swansea City will look to edge closer to achieving qualification for the Europa League group stages, when they face Romanian side Petrolul Ploiesti in the first leg of their play-off at Liberty Stadium on Thursday.

Swansea City
Swansea will be looking to bounce back from the defeat to Man United at the weekend (Reuters) Reuters

Where to Watch Live

Kick-off is set for 7.05pm BST, with ITV4 and ITV.com providing live coverage in the UK.

Overview

Swansea had a successful time in the transfer market, as they did not lose any of their key players this summer and also managed to add a number of new signings, including Ivorian striker Wilfried Bony, who scored 37 goals form 36 games for Vitesse Arnhem last season.

The Capital One Cup winners have also been in excellent form of late, triumphing over Swedish side Malmo in their first Europa League qualifier tie and also winning all of their pre-season matches, scoring 28 goals in the process.

Michael Laudrup's men did suffer a slight setback at the weekend, losing their Premier League season opener clash 1-4 to defending champions Manchester United at home. However, they will be confident of bouncing back from that disappointment with victory over their Romanian opponents.

Petrolul, on the other hand, have also been on a good run of form. They are unbeaten in domestic fixtures so far this season, winning three games out of five. Cosmin Contra's side hammered Faroe Islands' club Vikingur 7-0 on aggregate in their first Europa League qualifier tie, before overcoming Vitesse 3-2.

What Players/Managers Say

Pablo Hernandez: "I think that I can help the team and help the other players having been in this competition before. I played in the Europa League for two years and two years in the Champions League."

Michael Laudrup: "I had not heard of any of their players before the draw. No-one knows Gheorghe Grozav, [Hamza] Younes or the other guys. It's not being disrespectful, but the less you know an opponent, the more work you have to do."

Form Guide

Swansea City

  • Last Five Games (most recent first): L D W W W
  • Last Match: Swansea City 1 - 4 Manchester United

Petrolul Ploiesti

  • Last Five Games (most recent first): D W W D D
  • Last Match: Petrolul Ploiesti 1 - 1Ceahlaul Piatra Neamt

Team News

Swansea City

  • Injured: Dyer (hamstring), de Guzman (concussion)
  • Doubtful: N/A
  • Suspended: N/A

Probable Line-up (4-2-3-1): Vorm; Rangel, Chico, Amat, Taylor; Britton (c), Shelvey; Hernandez, Michu, Routledge; Bony

Petrolul Ploiesti

  • Injured: N/A
  • Doubtful: N/A
  • Suspended: N/A

Probable Line-up (4-1-3-2): Pecanha; Achim, Alves (c), Enza-Yamissi, Guilherme; Hoban; Boudjemaa, de Lucas, Grozav; Dore, Younes

Manchester United FC