Swansea City

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Vitor Matos has welcomed the return of Adam Idah as the £6m striker closes in on an end to his three-month injury lay-off.

Idah has not played since suffering a hamstring injury in training over Christmas.

But the 25-year-old could play some part when Swansea host Championship leaders Coventry City on Saturday (17:15 GMT).

"I'm really happy that he's back," Matos said.

"He adds quality to the squad, a different kind of profile. Now it's about getting ready for the upcoming weeks and being available."

Idah became the most expensive signing ever made by Swansea as an EFL club when he arrived from Celtic last September.

However, prior to his injury, Idah largely operated as a back-up to in-form Swansea striker Zan Vipotnik, who is the leading scorer in the second tier.

Idah has made 18 Swansea appearances to date – including only five league starts – and has scored three goals for the Welsh club.

In Idah's absence, Liam Cullen and Melker Widell have offered Matos alternatives up front.

But Swansea will have fingers crossed that former Norwich youngster Idah can end what has a been a tricky first season at the club with something of a flourish.

With eight games remaining in 2025-26, the Swans are 11th in the second tier, eight points adrift of the top six.

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There have been plenty of contentious decisions in the 2025-26 Championship season so far.

Offside goals given, perfectly good goals ruled out, red card offences missed, penalties not given, dubious spot-kicks awarded. You name it.

With the video assistant referee (VAR) only used for the play-off final, the outcome of every second-tier game in the regular season can hinge on how on-field officials see incidents in real time.

• Would you want VAR introduced for every league game in the Championship?

• If so, why?

• And if not, let us know your reasons.

You can share your thoughts on VAR here or comment below, and we will publish a follow-up article soon with a selection of your responses.

Image source, Huw Evans Picture Agency

Swansea City head coach Vitor Matos insists he is not focusing on next season despite losing ground on the Championship play-offs.

The Swans lost 2-0 away to Welsh rivals Wrexham - a result which leaves them eight points adrift of the top six with eight games remaining. The club's next game is at home to Championship leaders Coventry City on 21 March (17:15 GMT).

When asked if he is now looking ahead to the next campaign, Matos said: "No. Same as before. Next game. Nothing has changed."

"It's of course [about] building for the future, that is always the idea and that we can go step by step is most important.

"Not everyone is rushing for step three before [step] two and that's what we want of course.

"Now is not the time to speak about next season, now is the time to focus and improve for Coventry because it will be a good game against a team that is top of the league.

"We need to put in a proper performance and compete as much as we can."

Image source, Huw Evans Picture Agency

Vitor Matos says his Swansea City side remain a work in progress despite their transition from relegation candidates to play-off contenders.

Swansea were only outside the Championship's bottom three on goal difference following a desperate defeat at West Bromwich Albion in late November.

That was a second loss in as many games for Matos following his appointment as successor to Alan Sheehan.

Since then, however, Swansea have won 11 of 19 league fixtures to climb into the top half of the table for the first time since October.

They go to sixth-placed Wrexham on Friday (20:00 GMT) knowing victory would put them within two points of the play-off places with eight games remaining this season.

Matos says his players deserve credit for Swansea's upturn – but has also stressed that there is more work to do.

"It is a journey still, it's a process that we are building," the Swansea head coach said.

"Credit to the boys because the energy they are putting in, the commitment and the professionalism are really good.

Image source, Getty Images

"So [I am] really happy that step by step we are improving, finding consistency during the 90 minutes, finding consistency on what we believe is the best way to improve."

Despite their dramatic improvement, 11th-placed Swansea remain play-off outsiders.

The Swans have played a game more than four of the sides above – including Wrexham – while they face a testing run of fixtures over the next month.

Matos has consistently played down talk of a play-off push – and says his team should focus "on what we want to be".

"Of course the table is always a motivation, but this cannot be the ending, let's say it like that," he added.

"It's something that of course you look at, but in the moment it can change still a lot, there are still a lot of games and a lot of things can move up and down."

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Iwan Roberts reckons a testing run of fixtures could scupper Swansea City's play-off chances despite their "really big win" at Portsmouth.

Swansea are within five points of the Championship's top six after claiming just a fifth away triumph of the season at Fratton Park.

Vitor Matos' team go to Wrexham, who currently occupy the final play-off spot, on Friday (20:00 GMT).

Former Wales striker Roberts believes that game is tough to call given Swansea's good form and Wrexham's midweek home loss to Hull City – but says Matos' men face a succession of stern challenges in the next month.

"Before the game last Saturday, I think Swansea were 11 points from the bottom three and I said they were still looking over their shoulders," Roberts told this week's Feast of Football podcast.

"All of a sudden they win two games and we are talking about them getting into the top six. It shows how quickly the Championship can change.

"But have you seen their games? After Wrexham, [they have] Coventry at home, Sheffield United away, Middlesbrough at home in the next three. They have some tough games coming up."

Swansea head to north Wales having won six of their past 10 games, with Matos inspiring an upturn in fortunes since taking the reins in November.

The majority of their recent successes have come on home soil, making the 2-1 triumph at Portsmouth all the more satisfying.

"They were going to Fratton Park, a tough place where you have to fight and scrap and roll your sleeves up, I didn't see that result coming when you think they'd lost nine of their previous 11 away games," Roberts added.

"It was a big win, a really big win. I don't think they have won three in a row since last April but they have a chance now of doing that on Friday night."

Luke Hemmings
BBC Sport Wales

Image source, Huw Evans Picture Agency

Swansea City moved to within five points of the play-off places after a 2-1 win at Portsmouth, and head coach Vitor Matos felt his side fully deserved their second successive victory.

First-half goals from Josh Key and Ethan Galbraith put the Swans in control, though the game tightened when Jacob Brown pulled one back after the break.

Though Swansea missed opportunities to put the game beyond Pompey, Matos was satisfied with the manner in which his players saw the game out.

"We missed that chance and that gave Portsmouth a feeling," he said.

"At 2-0 it can turn quickly. They gained some momentum and we needed to control the game in a different way.

"The first half was really good, the first 15 minutes of the second too, and after that it was about managing without the ball, and we did that really well."

Galbraith's fine opener, a superb curling strike, underlined the influence he can have when deployed in midfield.

"Gally (Galbraith) does that drifting from the outside, inside or starting from there. He's really good with that. We know all his qualities," said the Portuguese.

"The most important thing is that he wants to keep improving. He knows that pressing is a big part and he's trying to cope with that as well - and I'm really happy that he's pushing himself on that."

With just one defeat in their past five matches, Swansea are gathering momentum at a crucial point in the season.

They head to Stok Cae Ras on Friday (20:00 GMT) to face Wrexham knowing a win would move them to within two points of the play-off places.

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Vitor Matos toasted Josh Key's return to form after the right-back continued his upturn in fortunes with a goal in Swansea City's victory over Portsmouth.

Key scored what proved to be the winner late in the first half at Fratton Park, with his deflected effort from outside the area dipping into the far corner of the net.

Key had scored only once in 20 months before finding the target in Swansea's win at Watford at the end of January.

He now has two goals in his past five appearances and, more importantly, looks to be rediscovering his best form on the right flank of Swansea's defence.

Key's improvement comes after what has been a difficult season for the former Exeter City player, who has spent much of his time playing back-up to Ethan Galbraith.

Swansea head coach Matos is delighted to see Key making an impact, saying: "That's the Josh we all know and we all want, so I am really happy to have him back.

"Josh is a brilliant professional, a wonderful kid with the right mentality. It was just a matter of time and a matter of confidence.

"It's not only players - I think all human beings have lows and ups in life. It's always about how you can find the resilience to come back again."

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Vitor Matos hopes that Swansea can find the answers to "different problems" on the road in a week that will shape their Championship season.

The Swans travel to 19th-placed Portsmouth on Tuesday night (19:45 GMT) and then face play-off hopefuls Wrexham on Friday (20:00 GMT).

Matos' side stretched their home unbeaten run to 10 games with a 2-0 win against Stoke on Saturday but will now clock up 660 miles in the space of five days.

Swansea are outsiders for the play-offs – which does not feature the eighth-placed team until next season – but a good week would give a considerable boost to their slim hopes.

Matos paid tribute to the home backing, saying "the connection is massive", but insists their preparation is no different when on their travels.

"There are different opponents, different problems, different solutions," said the head coach, with Swansea ranked fourth for points won at home but 22nd for those accrued away.

"We have had good performances away but haven't got the points but we had a good mentality at Watford and did.

"We don't see it as home and away, we just see it as opposition, what they create, how we compete and what we need to improve."

The schedule could lead to Matos, who brought Josh Key back into the starting line-up against the Potters, tinkering with a winning team.

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Vitor Matos' Swansea City have been given the seal of approval by Stoke City boss Mark Robins.

The Swans beat the Potters 2-0 in the Championship on Saturday to stretch their unbeaten run on home soil to 10 games.

Matos' side have claimed 26 points from a possible 30 in Swansea since their 25 November defeat by Derby County.

"They are a good side, I like some of their play," said Robins.

"They have good players, their rotations are really good and they have the leading scorer in the division [Zan Vipotnik].

"There is a lot to like about them and for the first 10 to 15 minutes on Saturday we didn't get to grips with them. We didn't get pressure on them well enough."

Swansea will attempt to take their strong home form on the road twice in the coming week.

They travel to relegation-threatened Portsmouth on Tuesday (19:45 GMT) and have a quick turnaround to play-off hopefuls Wrexham on Friday (20:00 GMT).

Portsmouth will hope to end a three-game winless run when travel-sick Swansea City arrive at Fratton Park on Tuesday evening (19:45 GMT).

Only Sheffield Wednesday (7) and West Bromwich Albion (12) have taken fewer points on the road than the Swans' 14 in the Championship this season.

Pompey's draw at Blackburn on Saturday leaves them five points clear of the relegation zone with 11 games remaining.

• Portsmouth have lost just one of their past 14 league games against Swansea (W5 D8), although it was a 1-0 loss in this season's reverse fixture.

• Following their 1-0 win in December, Swansea are looking to complete the league double over Portsmouth for just the second time, following the 1922-23 Third Division South campaign.

• Portsmouth have lost their past two home league games, both by a 1-0 scoreline. They last lost three in a row in March 2018, while they last did so without scoring in August 2008.

• Swansea have lost nine of their past 11 away league games, winning the others at Oxford United and Watford.

• Only West Brom and already-relegated Sheffield Wednesday have lost more away games in the Championship than Swansea this season (11).

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Boss Vitor Matos believes Liam Cullen has the right mindset to make a difference for Swansea City – whether as a starter or substitute.

The Wales international came off the bench to score his fifth goal of the season in Saturday's 2-0 Championship win against Stoke City, a terrific lob from almost halfway in added time.

Cullen also levelled in the closing stages of the draw against Preston at the end of February when he was a substitute.

The 26-year-old has started 14 of 33 appearances for the Swans in 2025-26.

"He's a really good option," said Matos. "Of course, he's not always happy that he needs to come off the bench to score but he has a top mentality.

"He is a winner, he wants to compete, play, score, assist and be influential. He is one of the most important players in the squad, I'm just lucky to have him in my dressing room and I like him a lot."

Matos is pleased that Cullen is not content with his number of starts, and thrilled by what the forward does whatever his role.

"He's always frustrated because he always wants to make an impact, and he wants to make an impact if he has five minutes or 95," added the head coach.

"That's the mindset you need to have and I just love that, it's the mentality we want in the squad because it's a long, long season with short time between games."

If this were next season, both these sides would still fancy getting in the Championship play-offs with the EFL announcing this week that six teams will qualify from next season, from third down to eighth place.

As it is, this is a meeting of 16th against 14th, who are respectively 10 and 11 points short of the top six.

• Swansea City have kept a clean sheet in their past two home league games against Stoke (W1 D1), having lost 3-1 in the previous two at the Liberty Stadium

• Stoke are looking for their first league double over Swansea since the 2021-22 campaign under Michael O'Neill.

• Swansea have picked up 23 points in their past nine home Championship matches (W7 D2), conceding just four goals. In their previous nine home games, the Swans won nine points and conceded 15 times.

• The Potters have lost six of their past 10 away Championship matches (W2 D2), scoring just six goals in total and failing to find the net in five of them.

• Since the start of the 2021-22 season, only Gustavo Hamer (38) has more Championship assists than Sorba Thomas (37), who has created a goal in his past two appearances for Stoke.

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Earlier we asked what you make of the news that, from next season, the Championship play-offs will be expanded to include the teams finishing seventh and eighth?

It was announced on Thursday morning that EFL clubs voted in favour of expanding the play-offs from four to six teams.

Here's a selection of your comments...

Josh, Derby: I don't believe this is necessary. I do think that the play-off format should be aligned throughout the top five leagues, but expanding isn't needed. Better distribution of the monies involved and establishing a clear matchday structure to balance various men's and women's leagues would be a better use of everyone's time. This strikes me undue American influence.

Callum, Dartford: I think it's a good thing so teams can push for promotion that thought they wouldn't get near the play-offs.

Cato, Sheffield: If we adopted it to this season, it means that eighth-placed Derby (on 51 points) have about as much a chance of going up as third-placed Millwall (on 63 points). Plus, to accommodate the extra games, would they extend the season into June? I don't like the idea of it at all, and I hope it's short-lived.

Steve, London: Another example of football being ruined, week by week. Don't you dare think about implementing VAR too.

Mark, Stafford: As a Stoke fan, I think it's good news. The season has come to a grinding halt due to being decimated by injuries. Add to that, the quality of what is coming down from the Premier League, it would mean upsets can happen and still allow teams in that mid-table race to dream of greater heights!

Richard, Stansted: Absolutely ridiculous. What is the point of a league format if you are going to make it a bigger lottery to include even more teams at the end of the season? It also brings teams that are even less ready to actually be in the Premier League into scope. But mostly it's the undermining of the league format which makes no sense. I'm a Derby fan - and we look like we would have a chance of benefiting from this if it were in place this season.

Andy, Nuneaton: Anything that expands the opportunities for those outside of the parachute teams is a good thing. We need to get away from this elite view of the Premier League. If it was up to them, they'd stop automatic promotion and relegation and have a system like Rugby Union, where it's based on meeting certain criteria. The eighth-placed club in the Championship getting to the PL? Bring it on!

Ron, Hayling: Money, Money, Money. Players complain about the amount of games they play with the league games and cup competitions so the intention is to play even more at the end of the season. Owners will make some money but that's all that matters!

Barry, Dartford: Yes it's a fantastic for everyone, all the small teams as well as the big boys, to have something to play for. It will give the end of the season something to look forward to.

Benjamin, Poole: I'm a Charlton fan, so it's unlikely we'll come 8th in the Championship any time soon, however, this is ridiculous. More pandering to Americans to make it more likely they'll make money, which is the only thing they care about. Sporting integrity out of the window again. Shame as I felt the Championship was the last bastion of quality and integrity combined. Game has gone.

Broughton, Derby: Absolute ridiculous, put it back to the old days of three straight up, no play-offs. If you don't make top-three you don't deserve to go up.

Julian, London: The worst decision from a footballing point of view ever! The National League teams have been trying to change their system to be like the current EFL system so it seems a very strange decision for the EFL to take. You can finish 8th after 46 games and still get promoted - sporting integrity has been totally lost with this decision. Money over integrity every time!

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Swansea City's Easter Monday Championship match against promotion-chasing Middlesbrough has been given a new kick-off time after being chosen for live coverage by Sky Sports.

The match had originally been scheduled to start at 15:00 GMT on 6 April at the Swansea.com Stadium but will now move to the later time of 17:30.

Boro won the reverse fixture 1-0 in August with Dael Fry scoring the goal.