Swansea City

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Puma's Rainbow ball will return to the English Football League as part of an on-going campaign against discrimination and homophobia.

The special edition rainbow ball was introduced in 2024 to mark LGBTQ+ History Month and will be used at every EFL game from 20 February until 1 March.

Manufacturers Puma will make a donation to Football v Homophobia for every goal scored with their rainbow ball across the Championship, League One and League Two.

The donations will help support education against homophobia and promote inclusion across the season.

The EFL have released a video, external to coincide with the campaign which features a Preston North End fan who was charged with a hate crime following homophobic chanting during an FA Cup fixture against Chelsea.

The rainbow ball will also feature in EFL partner EA Sports' FC 26 video game.

"The rainbow ball is a powerful symbol of the values we uphold across the EFL all season long," EFL chief executive officer Trevor Birch said.

"It not only reflects our longstanding commitment to ensuring the League is representative of all its diverse communities, but also reminds us that we all have a role to play in creating an environment in which everyone feels they truly belong."

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Vitor Matos feels Malick Yalcouye has progressed at Swansea City since he became the club's head coach in November.

The 19-year-old - currently on a season-long loan from Brighton & Hove Albion - endured a tough start to life in south Wales.

He started just five league matches under Alan Sheehan and did not feature in eight Championship games between late October and early December.

Yalcouye was also sent off in the Swans' 1-0 defeat by Queens Park Rangers under Sheehan on 22 October.

But he has shown signs of improvement under Matos of late and netted his first goal for the club in a 4-0 win over Sheffield Wednesday on 8 February.

"I think since I arrived he did steps forward. He came on from the bench (against Sheffield Wednesday) and he really affected the game I think that's always really good, not only him but other players as well," Matos said of Yalcouye.

Yalcouye has featured 25 times across all competitions so far for Swansea this season.

And Matos hopes he can keep adding to the versatile midfielder's development as he continues to adjust to the rigours of senior football.

"I think he's in the right way for his career," said Matos.

"I think how he's been doing in such a young age is good.

"He has a lot of talent inside of him and a lot of potential - it is up to me to find the best ways to use it."

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Head coach Vitor Matos has backed Jay Fulton to fill the void left by Marko Stamenic's suspension in the Swansea City midfield.

Stamenic has been banned for two games after picking up a yellow card in the Championship defeat at Derby County - his tenth of the season.

"That happens," Matos said after the game.

"Marko is a really good player, really important for us of course but Jay is as important as him, like all the players in the squad and I think the most important thing is that we, as a team, always react and always find a solution and that's what we're going to do."

Fulton, 31, along with goalkeeper Andy Fisher, has recently signed a two-year contract extension with the Swans.

The Scottish midfielder is the longest serving player at the Championship club having signed from Falkirk in 2014, making more than 300 appearances.

"It's brilliant news. They [Fulton and Fisher] both represent a lot of what we want to build," added Matos.

"Jay has been at the club for so many years and I think he's doing unbelievable work. He's someone really important for the squad, he's someone important for the club. The level that he's playing is as well something that we all like to see.

"So I'm really happy for him, really happy for the club".

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Swansea City hope Adam Idah will be back in action before next month's international break with the striker making progress in his recovery from a serious hamstring injury.

Idah was ruled out for up to three months after pulling up in training just before Christmas.

The 24-year-old took a step closer to a comeback as he took part in light training on the grass at Swansea's Fairwood training base last week.

Head coach Vitor Matos says Idah's progress has been "really good" and expects to have the £6m Republic of Ireland frontman back available in around a month.

"It's always good when we have more options with different profiles," Matos said.

"So far we are really happy, like you all know, with Vipi (Zan Viptonik) and as well with different solutions where we can use either Liam [Cullen] and Mel [Widell].

"But we are really happy for Adam. He has to keep going in terms of recovery and let's hope everything goes well."

Swansea host Coventry City on Saturday, 21 March in their final fixture before the last international break of the 2025-26 season.

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Vitor Matos says he is unsure what the future holds for Florian Bianchini as the forward struggles to establish himself in English football.

Bianchini is on a season-long loan at Portsmouth having made a limited impact in his first year at Swansea City following a £1.95m move from Bastia in 2024.

The 24-year-old is yet to score in 11 appearances for Pompey, the most recent of which came in late November.

Bianchini's bid to impress during his time with Swansea's Championship rivals has not been helped by injury, with the Frenchman recently returning to his homeland for assessment on an ongoing knee problem.

Bianchini's issues resulted in him being omitted from the Portsmouth squad submitted to the EFL following the mid-season transfer window, meaning that as it stands, he is unable to play for John Mousinho's team.

That could yet change given that Pompey have room to add players to their group.

But for the moment, Swansea head coach Matos accepts Bianchini's prospects are uncertain.

When asked about the player's situation, Matos said: "I think it's something for the club to handle, in terms of relationships and in terms of the future with every party on that.

"Let's see how it goes. [Portsmouth] need to assess that [injury] first, we need to assess that first, and then see what is the best solution."

Whatever happens between now and the end of this campaign, Bianchini will be due back at Swansea in pre-season as he is under contract with the Welsh club until 2028.

He scored three goals in 38 appearances – only eight of which were league starts – in his one season as part of Swansea's squad.

Gareth Vincent
BBC Sport Wales

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Swansea City's commitment to controlling games by controlling the ball has waned at various points in recent years.

Different managers have brought different ideas, with some less interested than others in dominating possession.

Swansea first became known - in the modern era at least - as a team who would pass their way to points after Roberto Martinez was appointed as the Welsh club's manager in 2007.

Martinez's revolution began a spectacular spell in Swansea's history which led to seven years in the Premier League, a first major trophy and a European adventure under Michael Laudrup.

The club then lost their way, with their style becoming less attractive as they struggled to survive at the highest level.

Since relegation in 2018, Swansea have had seven permanent bosses.

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Some have been desperate to play the kind of possession-heavy football which brought some memorable days under Martinez, Brendan Rodgers and Laudrup, while some have been less convinced about the merits of bossing the ball.

Vitor Matos' first priority when he took over in November was to improve Swansea out of possession, with the Portuguese keen to implement the sort of pressing game which brought his old boss Jurgen Klopp success at Liverpool.

But as Derby boss John Eustace pointed out, there are definite signs now of what Matos wants in possession – and they must look familiar to Swansea's fans.

Saturday's defeat at Pride Park brought back memories of some of the early days of the Martinez era, with Swansea outplaying their opponents for a long spell, failing to take advantage and eventually paying the price.

Martinez's team got there in the end.

Swansea supporters must hope the story turns out to be similar for Matos' current crop.

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The Adran Premier clash between Swansea City and Wrexham has been postponed due to a waterlogged pitch.

The first match of Phase Two had been scheduled to kick-off at Llandarcy Academy of Sport at 14:00 GMT, but heavy rain in south Wales has made the surface unplayable.

Wrexham did the double over Swansea in Phase One of the Adran Premier. A new date will be announced in due course.

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John Eustace said his Derby County side were made to work for victory over Swansea City because the Welsh side are going back to their old way of playing.

Derby climbed into the Championship play-off places courtesy of Saturday's 2-0 win over the Swans.

Both goals came from Callum Elder corners in the second half, with Rhian Brewster netting against his former club before Patrick Agyemang made the points safe with a powerful header.

Swansea had dominated the first period and continued to control the flow of the contest for a spell even after Brewster's opener.

But for all their possession, Vitor Matos' team lacked menace in the final third, meaning Derby's set-piece threat proved decisive.

"It was a hard afternoon," said Rams boss Eustace.

"They are really back to playing the old Swansea way now, dominating possession [with] lots of real good footballers."

Swansea had 72.2% of possession at Pride Park, as well as more shots, more touches in the opposition box and a higher xG than their hosts.

"They can hurt you if you are not disciplined enough," Eustace added.

"But we showed good discipline. We didn't get too disappointed in giving too much of the ball away and I knew as the game opened up we'd have more opportunities on the transition and we'd be able to hurt them on set-pieces."

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Swansea City will be without Marko Stamenic for their upcoming home games against Bristol City and Preston North End through suspension.

Midfielder Stamenic picked up his 10th Championship booking this season for a foul on Patrick Agyemang during Saturday's 2-0 defeat at Derby County.

The New Zealand international, who has been in good form in recent weeks, must now sit out Swansea's home game with the Robins next weekend and the visit of Preston North End on Tuesday, 24 February.

Stamenic's suspension could see the experienced Jay Fulton, who signed a new contract this week, land successive starts at the base of Swansea's midfield.

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Vitor Matos insisted he was proud of his Swansea City players despite a 2-0 loss at Derby County.

Swansea lost for only the second time in six league games thanks to second-half strikes from Rhian Brewster and Patrick Agyemang.

Both goals came from Callum Elder corners, leaving Matos to rue his team's set-piece defending after they had dominated the first period.

But despite frustration over the nature of Swansea's defeat, Matos said: "I think at the moment the way my team and my players are performing, I am really proud of them.

"They are buying into ideas, they are putting in a lot of effort to improve. We are all improving.

"Today was about set-pieces. We suffered from that and that's what we need to keep focused on for the next games."

Swansea's 10th away league defeat of the season meant they missed the chance to cut the gap to the Championship play-off spots.

They are now six points off sixth place – which is held by Derby after their success – and 10 clear of the relegation zone in 16th.

Swansea return home for games against Bristol City next Saturday and Preston North End the following Tuesday.

The Swans' form on their own patch has been excellent during Matos' reign, but he added: "We don't rely on the past. What we rely on is the work we do between games and that's for the next week.

"If we look at some away performances, the performance is there but the points are not.

"At home we are getting the points, but we rely on training, not the past."

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Vitor Matos says he has been thrilled by striker Zan Vipotnik's ability to "find ways to score" after he netted a sublime free-kick against Sheffield Wednesday.

The Slovenia international rifled into the net from around 20-yards prior to adding a second goal as Swansea City thumped the Owls 4-0 last time out.

"Like I said after the game, he's special, he finds ways to score, that's another way, and he did that really well," Matos said.

"Really pleased for him, for us, it was a really nice one to see it as well from the bench, so that's something to add and I hope he can keep going."

The Portuguese head coach added: "He has that kind of talent in terms of finishing. He shoots with either left or right but really powerful and precise as well.

"So that's what he did there and sometimes that's the best solution for something so really pleased."

Vipotnik's brace against bottom side Wednesday took the forward's Swans goal tally to 17 for the season, with his 15 in the league making him the Championship's top scorer.

And Matos says the 23-year-old is reaping the rewards for his graft on the training ground.

"He trains a lot, finishing sessions outside of the box, he does that really well," added the Swansea boss.

"We can all see that in training on that game.

"He made that decision [to take the free-kick]. That's good as well when the players have this kind of ownership. It's good when they have that feeling."

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Vitor Matos says Swansea City are excited to welcome Snoop Dogg – but insists his primary focus will be trying to deliver a result when the rapper comes to Wales.

Snoop Dogg is to attend a Swansea game for the first time since becoming a co-owner of the Championship club when Matos' men host Preston North End on Tuesday, 24 February.

Matos says he hopes "to have a chat" with the American star, who will appear pitchside before the Preston game and is also due to meet fans in the community during his stay in Wales.

"I think every time an owner of the club comes it is always good," said Swansea head coach Matos.

"He is of course high profile, everyone is really excited, we all are really excited to have him in here.

"But the most important thing for me is to focus on the game and to focus the team on the game."

Matos is unsure whether Snoop Dogg will appear at Swansea's training ground, or in the dressing room before Preston.

"The only thing I know is that he will come and we are really excited to have him and then the details will come further on when he will closer to come," he added.

Derby County seek a place in the top six when they host Swansea City on Saturday (15:00 GMT).

The Rams are just two points short of sixth place and only Preston North End have the power to deny them a spot in the play-off positions should they take all three points.

But the Swans are enjoying a much better portion of their season than they did at the start and will be aiming for a fourth win in five league games.

• Following their 2-1 win in November, Derby are looking to complete the league double over Swansea for the first time since 1985-86 in the third tier.

• Swansea have won just two of their last 11 away league games against Derby (D4 L5), though did win this exact fixture 2-1 last season.

• Derby County have scored in each of their last 21 league games, the longest ongoing streak of any side currently in England's top four tiers.

• Until the end of November, Swansea had won just four of their 18 Championship games this season, with only Sheffield Wednesday (1) and Norwich (3) winning fewer. They've since won eight of their last 13, with only Middlesbrough (9) winning more since the start of December.

• Derby's Rhian Brewster has scored in his last two league appearances – he's never scored in three in a row in English league football.

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Swansea City missed out on a first FA Youth Cup quarter-final appearance in the club's history as they were beaten by Blackburn Rovers in round five.

Swansea's youngsters had won at Hull City and Leeds United to reach the last 16 of the competition.

But their run came to an end as they were beaten 2-0 at the Swansea.com Stadium on Wednesday despite goalkeeper Thomas Wright saving Levi Ball's penalty.

Valentin Joseph scored both goals for Rovers, whose academy has category one status, as they avoided an upset against category two opposition.

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Vitor Matos believes Josh Key is starting to enjoy his football again thanks in part to the right-back's cameos on the wing.

Key has struggled for his best form this season, with midfielder Ethan Galbraith picked ahead of him on a number of occasions on the right flank of Swansea City's back four.

But there was a welcome boost for Key earlier this month as he scored his first goal of the season in Swansea's win at Watford after coming off the bench to play on the wing.

The 26-year-old said afterwards that the goal "meant a lot" because of what has been "a tough moment in my career".

Head coach Matos reckons Key, a popular figure within Swansea's dressing room, is a player on the up after his challenging spell.

"I think he's is getting his happiness back," Matos said.

"Sometimes it's not easy. Like in all professions in the world there's good and bad moments - for sure you guys had your bad and good moments as journalists.

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"Josh is a good professional, a wonderful kid. There's a lot of qualities that he has. I think he's in a better place at the moment and I'm just happy to see him like that."

Key started on the bench once more as Swansea beat Sheffield Wednesday last weekend.

He was again used in a more advanced role when he came on as a second-half substitute – and Matos says the former Exeter player has experience of operating higher up the pitch.

"Technical wise he's a good player, he has good crosses, he has good timing to finish in the box, he's aggressive on that kind of run," he added.

"I asked him - before he played as well as a left winger, so that's maybe why he understands that spaces.

"We will use him there and other situations he will play in a natural position that is right-back."