Swansea City

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Vitor Matos has told his players that only those showing "hunger and desire" will feature in his Swansea City side.

Head coach Matos takes charge of struggling Swansea for the second time when they travel to West Bromwich Albion on Saturday.

Having watched on from the stands as Swansea were well beaten at Bristol City last weekend, Matos made four changes to the starting side for Tuesday's home loss to Derby County.

As he considers whether to give more players an opportunity at The Hawthorns, the Portuguese says mentality will be the biggest factor in the selection process.

"It's quite clear that we need hunger and they need desire and that's the starting point for the players as well," Matos said who is keen to play with a counter-press.

"I said to the boys it's one of the tickets to the team. They need to have this inside of them and we start building.

"Of course we need to take care of the freshness of the squad, but everyone needs to know that the one with hunger will play and the one who is willing to put in 100% effort will play."

Image source, Huw Evans Picture Agency

Matos has had only limited time on the training pitch with his full squad since officially taking charge at the Swansea.com Stadium on Monday.

But having slipped to within two points of the Championship's bottom three in midweek, Matos' new team need to deliver soon in order to ease concerns that a relegation scrap could lie ahead this winter.

"We still are getting to know each other, we are still making steps," Matos added.

"It's always different when we have pre-season because you have more time to create relationships, to bond more, but it's been good.

"Everyone is putting a lot of effort to change the momentum and that's important."

Swansea City will look to end their four match losing streak when they visit West Bromwich Albion on Saturday (15:00 GMT).

Having marked his first game in charge with a loss, Swans boss Vitor Matos is currently waiting for his new backroom staff to arrive and will look to avoid a place in the bottom three should results elsewhere not fall their way.

Swansea are currently just two points ahead of Oxford United in 22nd place but their visitors are also having a tough time of it as late.

The Baggies have only won one of their past seven league games (D2 L4) and are falling off the pace of the top six to find themselves near the bottom end of the table.

• West Bromwich Albion earned four points from their league games against Swansea City last season (W1 D1), as many as they had in their previous seven meetings with the Swans (W1 D1 L5).

• Swansea City have lost their last two away league games against West Bromwich Albion, last losing three in a row from October 1927 to October 1929.

• West Brom have lost four of their last seven league games on a Saturday (W2 D1), as many defeats as in their previous 31 such games (W14 D13).

• Swansea have lost each of their last four league games; they last endured a longer streak in their final five matches of the 2017-18 Premier League season.

• 12 of Swansea's 16 Championship goals this season have come in the second half, including each of their last five goals.

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Swansea City's move to appoint Vitor Matos' new-look backroom team is being held up because the staff he wants are waiting to secure work permits.

Matos is keen to bring in Diogo Medeiros, his assistant at former club Maritimo, as well as coach Toze Mendes and analyst and coach Goncalo Ricca.

The trio are not expected to be involved when Swansea go to West Bromwich Albion on Saturday, but the Championship club hope they will be on board by the time they host Oxford United on Saturday, 6 December.

Swansea legends Leon Britton and Joe Allen have joined Matos' staff on a short-term basis following the departures of Darren O'Dea and Richard Stearman, who were brought to the club by former boss Alan Sheehan.

Long-serving coach Kristian O'Leary and head of goalkeeping Martyn Margetson remain in place having also been part of Sheehan's management team.

"It's clear which kind of profiles I want. It's clear which kind of staff I want with me," Matos said.

"It takes a bit of time to do all the regulations and to make it everything clean. It's the legal part of the club who is taking care of that."

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Swansea City chief Tom Gorringe has admitted the decision to sack Alan Sheehan was because the club "needed a reset".

Vitor Matos was confirmed as new Swans boss this week, taking charge for the first time in the midweek defeat by Derby County.

His arrival came 13 days after Sheehan was axed, that decision coming less than seven months after the Irishman was installed as head coach on a three-year contract.

Sheehan's appointment followed a successful interim period in charge, but a disappointing start to the season led to his dismissal.

At the time the club stated that both performances and results had fallen below expectations.

But now, quizzed for the first time since the sacking, chief executive Tom Gorringe added that there was a feeling a fresh approach was needed.

Asked if, in hindsight, the decision to give Sheehan the job in the first place was a costly mistake, Gorringe said: "Ultimately Alan was given the job last season [after] he did a fantastic job taking interim charge of the team; he won five games in a row and that can't be sniffed at in the Championship, it doesn't happen very often.

"He worked incredibly hard and we're not here because for a want of trying - but ultimately we felt like it was the right time to make a change.

"We felt like the club needed a bit of a reset and we're really excited about all the future holds."

As well as dismissing Sheehan and coaching staff Darren O'Dea and Richard Stearman, Swansea have had to pay out compensation to land Matos from Maritimo – although the club claim it is less than the near £1m compensation the Portuguese side put into the public domain.

Swansea sit close to the Championship relegation places, with Matos saying before his first game in charge he was confident he could turn things around.

But Gorringe shied away from specific targets for the new man at the helm, simply saying the club were keen for improvements.

"I think we just want to get better," he said. "We're obviously ambitious as a club - there was a reasonable amount of investment in the summer and that was with a view to trying to build the squad and give us opportunities to improve.

"The reality is it's a very difficult league to compete in, probably more than it's ever been before, and so the only aim really is to get better.

"We see this as a long-term process we know it will take time for Vitor and his team to start to implement the processes and the outcomes that we all want to see.

"But the aim in the short term is just to get better, to come together as a club to unify the fan base, and to try and improve."

Gareth Vincent
BBC Sport Wales

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Swansea City have played 17 games this season and have 17 points on the board.

Carry on at such a miserable rate for the rest of 2025-26 and the Swans will be in grave danger of dropping into League One for the first time since 2008.

The good news for Swansea is that the end of the season is more than five months away, so there is still the chance to make something of this campaign.

But the pre-season goal of pushing for a play-off place seems a very long way off right now.

Swansea finished 2024-25 with a flourish, then enjoyed what was widely regarded as their best transfer window in years in the summer.

Yet for the moment, too many of Swansea's new recruits have not delivered and many of the club's older faces have failed to produce consistent form.

It is hardly a recipe for success.

Swansea's failings have already cost Alan Sheehan his job, with the Irishman sacked just over six months after he was given a three-year deal.

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Now Vitor Matos has the reins – and a four-year contract – after Swansea paid compensation to bring the 37-year-old to Wales from Maritimo.

New bosses sometimes enjoy honeymoon periods. Not Matos.

There were loud boos at the end of his first game in charge after Swansea were beaten by Derby County.

Presumably, the supporters' ire was not aimed at Matos, who cannot be blamed for Swansea's current plight given that he has only been in charge for a matter of days.

The boos were more likely the result of frustration over Swansea's abject form given that they started the season with renewed hope.

There was a genuine belief – within the club and in the stands – that Swansea could push on in 2025-26 after four successive mid-table finishes.

Yet with more than a third of the season now gone, Swansea's followers once again find themselves hoping merely to avoid a relegation scrap.

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Matos, who had managed just 11 league games in the Portuguese second tier before moving to Wales, is the man charged with turning Swansea's fortunes around.

And for the moment at least, he is having to work without the various members of his Maritimo staff who he wants at Swansea, with the Welsh club still attempting to finalise the potential appointments.

In his press conference after defeat on debut, Matos kept referring to the need for work on the training ground as he looks to revitalise a team who have managed only two league wins since August.

Yet in the Championship, the frequency of fixtures means there is often little time to focus on anything other than preparation for the next game.

There will be the usual post-match recovery work after Derby, for example, and Swansea travel north on Friday for their weekend game at West Brom, leaving little time for tactical sessions on the training pitch.

Amid the flurry of fixtures, Matos must try to get his message across having never previously worked in England's second tier.

All things considered, it does not look an easy task.

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John Eustace says Derby County did their homework on Vitor Matos' Maritimo side to prepare for Tuesday's 2-1 victory at Swansea City.

Matos' first game as Swansea boss ended in home defeat thanks to goals from Joe Ward and Lars-Jorgen Salvesen, with Ethan Galbraith's late strike offering scant consolation for the home side.

Head coach Eustace said the Rams studied Maritimo, the club Matos had managed since the summer - and got what they were expecting at the Swansea.com Stadium.

"We watched four or five of his games when he was manager there, looking at how he does things - we do things properly," Eustace said.

"Swansea play 4-3-3. They're a fantastic footballing team. Obviously, he's come from a team that played 4-3-3, so we expected 4-3-3."

Matos did indeed play a 4-3-3 system, with Eom Jisung and Ronald either side of Zan Vipotnik and Liam Cullen, Galbraith and Jay Fulton – who made his 300th Swansea appearance – in midfield.

That meant the likes of Marko Stamenic, Goncalo Franco, Zeidane Inoussa and Adam Idah began on the bench, while Malick Yalcouye did not even make the matchday squad.

Matos must now decide whether to reshuffle for Saturday's trip to West Bromwich Albion, where Swansea will hope to avoid a fifth successive Championship defeat.

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New Swansea City boss Vitor Matos will be able to turn to two club greats for assistance when he takes charge for the first time tonight against Derby County (19:45 GMT).

Former midfielders Leon Britton and Joe Allen – who boast more than 750 Swans appearances between them – have already been on the training ground to help Matos in his first days as Alan Sheehan's replacement.

Both were thought to have been consulted during the process to appoint Matos, and have now donned tracksuits to help with his introduction.

But Matos will soon add his own staff from Portugal – with club officials confirming they are working on deals to secure the 37-year-old's backroom.

Club stalwart Kris O'Leary and Wales goalkeeping coach Martyn Margetson are both expected to stay in their roles at the Swansea.Com Stadium.

But with Darren O'Dea and Richard Stearman departing in the wake of Sheehan's sacking, Matos has a number of positions to fill.

Assistant Diogo Medeiros, experienced coach Toze Mendes and analyst and coach Goncalo Ricca are expected to follow Matos to south Wales from Maritimo.

"Leon and Joe have come in to support the coaching team in the short term while we head through this transition," said Swansea chief executive Tom Gorringe. "There's no two better people to come in and provide assistance, and to give an overview of the club and some context.

"But Vitor will be fully supported to build the team that gives him the best chance of success and we're working through that process at the moment, to provide the experience and the background that enables him to implement his ideas on the pitch."

Allen has hinted at a future in coaching having retired from playing in May. Britton, meanwhile, has previously held roles as caretaker manager, assistant manager and director of football following a storied Swans playing career.

Swansea face play-off chasing Derby County on Tuesday (19:45 GMT) as they look to avoid dropping closer to the relegation line.

The Swans are currently in a state of limbo, awaiting the arrival of Vitor Matos to take the reigns with caretaker Darren O'Dea unsure about his future with the club.

However, the Welsh side may have caught a break in facing the Rams this midweek. Derby's five match winning streak came to an end on Saturday after a 3-2 loss to Watford and they may be without star striker Carlton Morris for the trip.

• Swansea have won each of their last three league games against Derby, as many as in their previous 17 against the Rams (D7 L7).

• Derby have won just one of their last eight away league games against Swansea (D3 L4), losing the last three in a row since a 3-2 triumph in February 2020.

• Having been unbeaten at home in the league between April and September (W4 D4), Swansea have lost three of their four at home since the start of October (W1).

• Derby have won their last two away league games, last winning three in a row in the Championship back in July 2020.

• Derby's Carlton Morris has scored six away goals in the Championship this season. It's already his second highest tally away from home in a single Football League campaign, netting nine with Luton in their 2022-23 promotion season.

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Caretaker boss Darren O'Dea has played down the idea of Swansea City's players producing a reaction following the sacking of Alan Sheehan when they face Bristol City on Saturday (12:30 GMT).

O'Dea, who was assistant to Sheehan, will lead Swansea at Ashton Gate after his fellow Irishman was dismissed 10 days ago.

The Swans were thrashed by Ipswich Town in what proved to be Sheehan's final game in charge, with the Welsh club slipping to 18th in the Championship having won only one of their past seven league games.

But when asked whether there could be a reaction to Sheehan's departure this weekend, O'Dea said: "I hope not. I hope the players always are absolutely engrossed and doing their very best for Swansea.

"Of course there will be personal relationships with Alan. I don't think there's ever been a lack of effort from the players. I absolutely would be unequivocal in that, so I don't know about reaction.

"I would like to think they're always absolutely at their maximum and I definitely hope that is the case [on Saturday], which I'm sure it will be."

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O'Dea only discovered in the middle of this week that he would be at the helm for Bristol City, as Swansea failed in their attempts to appoint a new boss before the weekend.

A number of Sheehan's now former players have been away on international duty, meaning there has been little time to prepare to face the Robins.

"Sometimes simplifying things for them can be the way forward," O'Dea said.

"I don't mean that in terms of the way we'll play, but the way I see it is I'll pick a team that puts players in their positions that they're clear on, that they've done before, and we'll play in a way that suits individual players.

"Ultimately then collectively we can perform and hopefully win."

If you're wondering where your team is going to finish in the Championship this season, you no longer need to worry.

Well, kind of.

Opta's supercomputer has worked its magic to figure out the most likely final league position of every team - and the chances each has of being promoted, making the play-offs or getting relegated.

Who is most likely to win automatic promotion?

It will come as no surprise that leaders Coventry are heavy favourites for the title (69.3%) and also have the highest chance of automatic promotion (84.2%) to the Premier League.

The next most likely to go straight up, with a 30.8% chance, are Middlesbrough. Despite currently sitting seventh and six points behind Boro in second, Ipswich are expected to be the third favourites for a top two finish (18.9%) followed by Stoke (14.1%).

Even though they've each enjoyed a strong start to the campaign, Preston (10.3%), Hull (6.1%) and Millwall (8.3%) have slimmer chances of finishing in an automatic promotion spot.

Who will make the play-offs?

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Even if Coventry don't win automatic promotion, Opta's supercomputer has given the Sky Blues a 97.9% chance of a top-six finish, suggesting it's almost guaranteed.

Each of Middlesbrough, Ipswich, Preston and Stoke are expected to finish in a minimum of a play-off position at least one in two times.

Hull might feel the hardest done by as they sit fifth currently, but are said to have less chance (32.3%) than Millwall (38.8%) and Charton (32.4%), who are below them in the table.

The most likely of the chasing pack to make a surge up the table are 12th-placed Leicester City, who have been given a 31.8% chance of finishing in the top six and are more likely than Bristol City (28.9%), Derby (22.9%) and Birmingham (19.9%).

Last season's beaten play-off finalists Sheffield United have just a 1.8% chance of recovering their season to make the play-offs again, while relegated Premier League side Southampton (12.5%) aren't likely to either... if you trust the supercomputer!

Who is going down?

Image source, Rex Features

It's probably not hard to work out who is most likely to finish bottom and be relegated to League One.

Sheffield Wednesday's 12-point deduction, which has left them 17 points adrift of safety on -4 points, means they're pretty much nailed on to finish bottom (84.8%) - and failing that, are almost certain to go down (98.2%).

Second from bottom Norwich are the next most likely candidates to fall through the trap door (58.5%) but Sheffield United, who currently occupy the final relegation spot, have just a 22.4% chance of going down and are considered more likely to stay up than Oxford (37.8%) and Portsmouth (31.3%).

Swansea will head to Bristol City on Saturday (12:30 GMT) for their first match since sacking boss Alan Sheehan.

Assistant boss Darren O'Dea will take lead of the Swans as they search for a successor who can help them avoid a relegation scrap, while the Robins are winless in three and will be hoping a victory can help lift them back into the top six.

• Bristol City have won one of their last six home league matches against Swansea (D3 L2), a 1-0 win in the 2023-24 season.

• Following a 1-0 win at Ashton Gate last season, Swansea are looking to win consecutive away league matches at Bristol City for the very first time.

• This will be Bristol City manager Gerhard Struber's 50th Championship match as a manager (34 with Barnsley, 15 with the Robins so far). His only previous game against Swansea ended 0-0 in December 2019 as Tykes boss.

• In the Championship in 2025-26, Swansea rank second bottom for shots (159), third bottom for shots on target (49), second bottom for touches in the opposition box (249), bottom for expected goals (12.5) and bottom for big chances (15).

• Bristol City's Scott Twine has six goals in 15 Championship appearances this season, one more than he netted in 36 games last campaign (5). Four of his 11 goals in the last two seasons have been direct free-kicks, the most of any Championship player in that time.