Good afternoon! Thank you very much for joining Sports Mole for today's Premier League clash between Swansea City and Newcastle United at the Liberty Stadium!

Both teams will go into this game breathing a little easier having picked up their first wins of the campaign last time out, and with a potential relegation battle having been tipped for the two sides they will know that a second consecutive victory would give them an early boost in what could end up being a battle for survival.

Just two places separate them in the table at this very early stage of the season, but before we have a closer look at both sides let's first check out the team news...

SWANSEA STARTING XI: Fabianski; Naughton, Fernandez, Mawson; Olsson, Clucas, Sanches, Carroll, Fer; Ayew, Abraham

SWANSEA SUBS: Nordfeldt, Rangel, van der Hoorn, Roque Mesa, Routledge, Narsingh, Bony

NEWCASTLE STARTING XI: Elliot; Manquillo, Lascelles, Clark, Gamez; Merino, Hayden, Ritchie, Perez, Murphy; Joselu

NEWCASTLE SUBS: Woodman, Shelvey, Gayle, Diame, Lejeune, Yedlin, Atsu

What can we make of those two sides, then?

Well, the headline news from the Swansea camp is a debut for Renato Sanches as Paul Clement throws him straight into the starting lineup following his loan move from Bayern Munich during the summer. The deal was arguably the biggest coup of the transfer window as just over a year ago Sanches was regarded as perhaps the best young player in world football, having won the Young Player of the Tournament award at Euro 2016.

An unsuccessful first season at Bayern has since stalled his progress, though, and the Portugal international will be hoping that regular first-team football will help him to get his career back on track.

Sanches was one of two players to join Swansea in the closing stages of the transfer window, but the second only makes the bench this afternoon.

Wilfried Bony enjoyed a prolific spell at Swansea before moving to Manchester City, where things didn't go quite as well for him. The striker is back at the Liberty Stadium now, though, and will also be hoping to get his career back on track with similar success to his first stint here.

If he is to do that then he must first earn his place in the side, though, and that could be difficult if fellow summer arrival Tammy Abraham keeps up his good form.

Abraham has now scored 24 league goals since the start of last season, which is the most by any player under the age of 21 in the top four tiers of English football. The striker is only at Swansea on loan from Chelsea, but he has been tipped to have a bright future and a club like Swansea could be perfect for his development. The increased competition for places following Bony's arrival could limit his playing time a bit, but he has already opened his account for the club and another good performance today would see him strengthen his position as the club's leading striker right now.

There is only one personnel change for Swansea from their win over Crystal Palace last time out, with that made to accommodate Sanches in midfield. The Portuguese youngster replaces Mike van der Hoorn in the starting XI, which is also likely to see a change for formation from three at the back to a more familiar 4-2-3-1 formation.

As for Newcastle, their most notable absentee today is none other than manager Rafael Benitez, who underwent an operation during the international break to treat an infection which related to an early hernia procedure.

The Magpies confirmed earlier today that the Spaniard is not yet healthy enough to be in the dugout this afternoon, meaning that assistant Paco Moreno will be in charge of the team. Benitez will, however, be in contact with his coaching staff during the match.

The Magpies have made two changes to the side that beat West Ham last time out, one of which was enforced. Chancel Mbemba picked up a hamstring injury during the international break and so is unable to feature here today, with Jesus Gamez coming into the side in his place.

The other change sees summer signing Murphy come in for Atsu, who drops to the bench as a result.

The likes of Dwight Gayle, Yedlin and Lejeune join Atsu on the bench, while former Swansea midfielder Jonjo Shelvey is also amongst the subs on his return to the Liberty Stadium. Shelvey is only just returning from a three-game ban, but Newcastle are without Aleksandar Mitrovic after he was handed a retrospective suspension by the FA.

All six of Newcastle's summer signings are involved in some capacity today, either starting the match or being included on the bench. Murphy was the most expensive of those, While Joselu has already got his name on the scoresheet for his new club.

Both teams will be coming into this match with a firm belief that they have the quality to come away with all three points, but Swansea's home advantage and superb record under Paul Clement makes them the favourites for this one.

Swansea have won 10 games since Clement took over in January, which is the same number as Manchester United have managed in the same period. Only last season's top seven have amassed more points than Swansea since Clement's arrival.

The drastic upturn in form following Clement's arrival helped Swansea to drag themselves clear of the relegation zone during the second half of last season, and he will be keen to keep his side are arm's length of danger from the get-go this term. Victory today would certainly help with that to leave Swansea on a respectively seven points from four games, lifting the, into the top half of the table.

Stretching back into last season, Swansea have now won six and lost just one of their last nine games across all competitions - a run which stretches back to April 15. That includes one defeat from their four outings so far this season, although the loss was a heavy one as they went down 4-0 to Manchester United last month.

Swansea have only been beaten three times in front of their own fans since the turn of the year, and the teams to beat them in that time all finished in the top six last season - Tottenham, Arsenal and Manchester United. The Swans tend to get the job done against the lower teams in the league, though, which is arguably more important than their record against the biggest clubs if they do find themselves in a relegation battle.

You have to go back to the turn of the year for the last time Swansea lost back-to-back home matches in the Premier League, being beaten by Bournemouth and Arsenal either side of the New Year. Indeed, Paul Clement has never lost two consecutive home league games as a manager, with his previous two losses at Swansea being followed immediately by a return to winning ways.

Should Swansea lose this afternoon then it would be the first time they have been beaten in their first two home league games since 1985-86, with that 4-0 loss to Manchester United their only home outing of the campaign so far. Paul Clement will be hoping for - even expecting - a performance more reminiscent of Swansea's last match, though, which saw them beat Crystal Palace 2-0 courtesy of goals from Abraham and Ayew.

Despite the arrivals of Sanches and Bony this summer, many may still view it as a bad window for Swansea, who lost arguably their two best players from last summer. Gylfi Sigurdsson eventually completed his £45m switch to Everton, while Fernando Llorente - whose goals helped to drag Swansea away from danger - left for Tottenham on deadline day.

Even so, Clement claims that his current squad will be better than last season's, and this is his first chance to really prove that.

Newcastle will certainly know that they need to be better than both last season and their last Premier League campaign if they are to stay up this time around. The promoted teams have all made relatively decent starts so far, with each one picking up at least one win so far. Newcastle are certainly the club with the fan base and stadium which most suits the Premier League, but they must perform on the pitch if they are to avoid an immediate return to the second tier.

To that end, Rafael Benitez was reportedly unhappy with his side's dealings in the transfer market as Mike Ashley seemingly refused to put his hand too deep in his pocket. The Magpies still managed to bring in six new faces - all of whom are in the matchday squad today - but reports suggested that Benitez was even considering stepping down from his role over the lack of business before deciding to stay.

The former Liverpool manager decided to stay, though, and there is no doubt that his presence in the dugout is still a coup for the club. Having led them to the Championship title last season he is now looking to record consecutive Premier League wins for the first time since December 2015, when they overcame Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur in succession.

Newcastle did not make a good start to the season by any means, losing their first three games across all competitions including an early exit from the EFL Cup at the hands of Championship side Nottingham Forest. The Magpies were also beaten by Tottenham and Huddersfield during the opening weeks of the campaign, so the 3-0 win over West Ham comes at a very timely moment for the club.

If Newcastle are to record back-to-back wins then they must first improve their away record, which was dreadful the last time they were in the top flight. The Magpies have failed to win any of their last 12 top-flight away games, losing 10 of those and picking up just two points from a possible 36. Benitez's side have already been beaten at Huddersfield this season, and you have to go back to December 2015 for their last Premier League away win - at Tottenham, no less.

In all competitions Newcastle have now won just one of their last six away games, struggling on the road towards the end of the Championship season last term. A 2-0 victory over Cardiff City was the only time Newcastle have picked up a possible result in that time, and they will be hoping to succeed in South Wales again today.

Newcastle have a very experienced manager in Benitez, who become only the ninth manager to amass 500 Premier League points with the win over West Ham last time out, but their team is less experienced at this level. Indeed, Newcastle have the lowest average age for their starting XIs in the Premier League so far this season at 25 years and 190 days.

PREDICTION: Right, we're 10 minutes away from kickoff at the Liberty Stadium, which means that it is time for a prediction!

This is a very intriguing game which could realistically go either way, but Swansea have been impressive ever since Clement took over and with the quality of Sanches in their team could go from strength to strength over the coming weeks. I'm going for a home win!

Sports Mole says: Swansea 2-1 Newcastle

Swansea have had the better of this fixture since winning promotion to the Premier League, beating Newcastle six times and losing just twice in their 10 top-flight meetings. That includes three wins and a draw from their last four league home games against Newcastle after losing their first won under Brendan Rodgers in 2012.

Newcastle did win the most recent meeting between the clubs, though, running out 3-0 winners in April 2016. That match saw Lascelles open the scoring at St James' Park before late strikes from Sissoko and Townsend made the win look a lot more comfortable for the hosts. That also happened to be Benitez's first win as Newcastle boss.

Newcastle have only won that one match in their last eight clashes with Swansea, though, picking up just four points from a possible 24 in that time. The Magpie's most recent visit to the Liberty Stadium came in August 2015, when goals from Gomis and Ayew helped the Swans to a 2-0 triumph.

We're moments away from kickoff now, so let's have a final reminder of the team news today:

SWANSEA STARTING XI: Fabianski; Naughton, Fernandez, Mawson; Olsson, Clucas, Sanches, Carroll, Fer; Ayew, Abraham
NEWCASTLE STARTING XI: Elliot; Manquillo, Lascelles, Clark, Gamez; Merino, Hayden, Ritchie, Perez, Murphy; Joselu

KICKOFF: Here we go, then! Swansea get us underway at the Liberty Stadium!

The Newcastle fans produce an early chorus of chants for absent manager Rafael Benitez, but on the field it is Swansea who have made the quicker start.

The hosts have a free kick in a good crossing position...

Carroll instead tries to catch the keeper out and goes for goal, but he swings it well off target. A waste of a good position.

SAVE! This has been a really lively start to the game, with both sides playing at a good tempo. Newcastle are the first to test the opposition goalkeeper as Hayden manages to get a shot away from just inside the box, but it is straight at Fabianski.

You can sense the excitement around the Swansea fans every time Sanches gets on the ball, and he has seen plenty of it in these opening stages. The youngster has shown good and bad sides to his game already, with some powerful running but a couple of passes going astray.

YELLOW CARD! The first card of the game arrives after just eight minutes as Hayden clatters into Sanches, who had flicked the ball over his head.

It has been a fast and furious opening 10 minutes, with the wet conditions contributing to that. The game is still being played at a really good tempo, but no big chances to speak of just yet.

The tempo of the game is just beginning to slow a little now as both sides begin to settle into it a bit more. Swansea are seeing more of the ball, but Newcastle seem relatively happy to let them have it.

Perhaps the most glaring weakness of Sanches's game is his passing, and there has been evidence so far that he hasn't improved too much in that respect. The midfielder tries to thread a pass through after being found by a lovely flick, but he gives it straight to the defender.

There is a really good atmosphere inside the Liberty Stadium today, and they see the ludicrous side of the referee and Fabianski squabbling over a couple of yards when taking a free kick. The set piece was right back deep in his own half anyway, but the referee was adamant that it had to be taken from exactly the right position.

Still no chances to report for either side, but it is Swansea who have the slight edge in terms of control of this game so far. The hosts are still seeing the lion's share of possession, but they haven't been able to find a way through Newcastle yet.

Newcastle need to improve on the ball if they are to get anything out of this game. They have barely strung four or five passes together so far, and as a result have been unable to get into any sort of rhythm going forward.

The Newcastle coaches are in contact with Benitez from the dugout during this match, but so far the team is looking as organised as you would expect from a Benitez side. As I have already mentioned, they do need to improve on the ball, but defensively they have been solid so far.

Abraham is incredulous as he gets penalised for wrestling with the defender in the box, and the replay shows that he has a point. It was six of one and half a dozen of the other, but the defender very rarely gets penalised in those circumstances.

Swansea have the chance to test the Newcastle defence from a set piece situation this time, but the free kick from the left is easily dealt with by the visitors.

CHANCE! The best chance of the match so far falls to Newcastle, but it is still a difficult one for Murphy.

One long ball forward causes too many problems for Swansea, with Fernandez failing to deal with it and only succeeding in looping the ball to Murphy. The winger tries to take the dropping ball on first time, though, and can only fire it well over the crossbar.

As Sanches receives treatment following another painful collision - this time with Merino - the Liberty Stadium rises to applaud Bony as he goes out to warm up. They are delighted to see him back here.

SHOT! Ambitious effort from Joselu, but it was definitely worth a go. The striker lets a throw-in run across his body and the ball sits up nicely for him to unleash a first-time volley on the turn, but it doesn't dip enough to trouble the keeper.

Swansea have dominated the possession in the opening half an hour or so here, but it is Newcastle who have had the only sights of goal so far. The hosts need to do more in the final third.

SAVE! Stunning stop from Fabianski to keep Swansea level!

Newcastle have moved up a gear in the last couple of minutes and Joselu is so close to giving them the lead with a clever glancing header which looks destined for the far corner. However, Fabianski gets the very tip of his finger to the ball and manages to turn it around the post.

PENALTY SHOUT! Huge call for a penalty from Newcastle as Merino goes down under a bit of a lunge from Mawson on the edge of the box. The first question is whether it is inside the box or not, but then the replay shows that there was no contact anyway. In fact, it is a shocking dive from Merino and he may face some retrospective action for that.

Moments later Joselu has another sight of goal, but his low drive is straight at Fabianski.

Newcastle are enjoying a real purple patch at the moment, keeping Swansea penned back in their own half and piling the pressure on.

SAVE! Swansea hit back with a good spell of their own as Abraham wins possession back inside the Newcastle half to send Ayew free. The striker tries to fire an early shot into the bottom corner, but Elliot makes a relatively comfortable stop.

CHANCE! Oh what a chance this is for Swansea to take the lead! Mawson is always a threat from set pieces, but the centre-back has missed a gilt-edged chance to break the deadlock here. The corner is met by Mawson just a few yards from goal, but he steers his header wide of the target when he really should have scored.

It was a lively start to the half, and it is turning into a lively end too. There have been a flurry of chances at either end in the past five minutes or so, which has come after a pretty uneventful period of the game.

PENALTY SHOUT! This time it is Swansea who want a penalty following a bizarre piece of defending from Lascelles. The Newcastle captain goes to clear the ball with his head, but it dips and is on the floor before it reaches him. He ends up lying on the ball and Swansea claim that it hit his arm, but Lascelles seemed to do well to ensure that he did not handball it. Unorthodox defending to say the least, though.

There will be one minute of added time at the end of this first half.

SAVE! One more late save for Fabianski to make in this first half as he makes a comfortable stop to deny Hayden.

The referee brings an end to the first half at the Liberty Stadium and we're still goalless despite both sides having some good chances in that opening 45 minutes.

There was a lively start and end to the half, with a lull in between, but neither side could make the breakthrough in what has been a fairly even contest. Swansea have seen the majority of the ball, but Newcastle have had more shots than their hosts.

The standout moment of the first half saw Fabianski pull off a remarkable save to deny Joselu, whose glancing header looked destined for the corner. Fabianski reacted brilliantly, though, and managed to get the faintest fingertip to the ball and turn it around the post.

Swansea's best chance fell to Alfie Mawson with a little over five minutes remaining in the half, and it was one that he really should have taken. The centre-back climbed highest into the area to meet a corner from close range, but only managed to steer his header wide of the target when he should have scored.

The match really burst into life in the final 10 minutes or so, and hopefully the two sides will pick up where they left off at the start of the second half. Up until that flurry of chances it was not a classic, in all honesty, but the vast majority of the entertainment was condensed into the closing stages of the half.

KICKOFF: Newcastle get us back underway for the second half at the Liberty Stadium. No half-time changes for either side.

YELLOW CARD! Naughton goes into the book for a blatant trip on Gamez having slipped and then made a rash swipe out at the Newcastle man to stop him raiding down the flank.

YELLOW CARD! This is a controversial one, particularly after what happened at Manchester City yesterday. Ritchie goes for the ball with his studs up at head height - just as Mane did against Ederson at the Etihad Stadium. Mawson wins the header, but the difference seems to be that Ritchie doesn't connect with Mawson like Mane connected with Ederson. Mane, of course, was shown a red card for his challenge, but a yellow suffices here.

Mawson did Ritchie a favour with his reaction to that incident, shaking it off and not even going down. It may have been different had there been contact, but it was a dangerous piece of play from Ritchie and, if Mane's was a red card, then Ritchie's probably should have been too. For me, though, a yellow is the right call.

Perez tries his luck from range having worked space to shoot around 25 yards from goal, but he blazes it well over the crossbar.

Mawson does seem to be bearing some scars from that incident with Ritchie, and he requires a bandage on his bleeding forearm before he can continue.

SAVE! Swansea are piling the pressure on now! Naughton sends a couple of dangerous crosses into the box in quick succession which Newcastle just about manage to deal with, but they then come down the left channel and Elliot is needed to deny Carroll at the near post.

SHOT! The anticipation builds around the Liberty Stadium as Sanches lines up a free kick from a good 30 yards, but curls it comfortably over the crossbar.

NEWCASTLE SUB: The visitors make their first change of the contest as Murphy is replaced by Christian Atsu.

OFF THE LINE! Brilliant defending from Lascelles to prevent a certain goal for Swansea! Abraham beats the offside trap to race through on goal and he keeps his composure on his way around the keeper. He looks to have an empty net to slide it into, but Lascelles has not given up on it and throws himself in the way of the finish to keep it out on the line. Superb last-ditch defending.

Less than half an hour remaining in this match now, and it is still all to play for in South Wales. Both sides have had their chances, but we remain goalless.

The conditions have improved as this match has gone on, and the sun has even made an appearance at the Liberty Stadium now.

The Swansea fans may have their day brightened even more shortly as one Wilfried Bony is warming up.

This game really shouldn't be 0-0 given the chances both sides have had, but it would also be harsh if either team were trailing. Swansea have probably just about edged it so far, but there has been very little between the two teams.

Newcastle are struggling to get any sustained spell of possession at the moment, with Swansea beginning to take a firmer grip over the game.

Just as I say that, though, Newcastle break on the counter and Perez sends a dangerous low pass right across the face of goal.

SWANSEA SUB: It's a straight swap of the new boys for Swansea as Sanches departs to be replaced by Wilfried Bony.

NEWCASTLE SUB: Newcastle make a change of their own as Hayden is replaced by Mo Diame.

Nothing to report in terms of chances since that Lascelles clearance off the line as the game enters another lull. All gearing up for an exciting finale hopefully!

CHANCE! Newcastle respond to that with a chance, and it is a good one too. Perez is in space inside the penalty area and has time to shoot, but his low strike is saved by the feet of Fabianski.

SAVE! Fabianski is called into action again here as Joselu gets in front of his man to steer a header from Gamez's cross towards goal, but it is straight at the keeper.

SAVE! Fabianski and Joselu do battle again here, and once more it is the Swansea keeper who comes out on top. It is another fairly routine stop as Joselu fires it straight at the keeper.

Newcastle finally break the deadlock with less than 15 minutes remaining at the Liberty Stadium!

Lascelles, who saved a goal at the other end, rises above everyone else in the penalty box to meet a corner, and he plants a firm header past Fabianski. It all looked very easy for the Newcastle skipper, who may well have won the game for his side with his first Premier League goal since scoring against the same opponents last year.

NEWCASTLE SUB: Newcastle make a change as Joselu departs to be replaced by Dwight Gayle.

YELLOW CARD! Leroy Fer is the latest player in the book for an untidy challenge.

Just eight minutes of normal time remain for Swansea to get themselves back into this one. They will not feel as though they deserve to be behind, and they have certainly had the chances to get something from this game so it would be a tough one to take if this one stays like it is.

Concern for Merino here as he lands heavily and needs treatment, which also serves to waste just a little more time for Newcastle.

SWANSEA SUB: Swansea make their second sub of the afternoon as Carroll is replaced by Luciano Narsingh.

YELLOW CARD! Dwight Gayle is the latest player in the book, ironically for complaining about the lack of a yellow card for a Swansea player.

CHANCE! Late chance for Swansea as Fer climbs highest in the area to meet a corner, but he never looks too confident with his header and sends it well off target.

There will be five minutes of added time at the end of this match.

SAVE! Swansea are still pushing for this equaliser, and Narsingh breaks through down the right flank before seeing his low drive kept out by Elliot.

Jamaal Lascelles is the hero of the hour for Newcastle then as the captain nods his side to a second straight victory in the Premier League, and a first away from home in the top flight since December 2015. Lascelles also saved a certain goal at the other end of the field, so he made a huge contribution to help Newcastle climb into the top half. For Swansea, though, it is back-to-back home league defeats for the first time in 2017.

Right, that's all we have time for I'm afraid! Thank you very much for joining Sports Mole for today's match as Newcastle edge past Swansea in the absence of manager Rafael Benitez. I will leave you with our match report, and be sure to stick around for reaction from both camps. From me, though, it is goodbye for now!