Swansea City

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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."

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Swansea City's youngsters will bid to cause another FA Youth Cup shock when they face Blackburn Rovers in round five at the Swansea.com Stadium on Wednesday (19:00 GMT).

Swansea are through to the last 16 of the competition for the first time since 2015 after claiming a last-gasp, extra-time winner at Leeds United in the previous round.

Like Leeds, Blackburn are a category one academy, while Swansea only have category two status and therefore start as underdogs.

Rovers gave an indication of their quality with an 8-1 victory at Coventry City in the previous round.

Swansea also triumphed on their travels in round three, courtesy of another late winner at Hull City.

"It's been a long time since we've reached this stage as a club and it's nice for the boys to be part of that," Swansea Under-18s coach Jon Beale told the club website.

"We expect another difficult evening, like we had at Leeds. These category one teams work at such a high level and the level of competition they face every week is so high."

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Bobby Wales will aim to show during his stint at Huddersfield Town that he has the tools to shine at Swansea City.

And while Wales is in Yorkshire, Thomas Woodward will try to seize his opportunity to impress in Swansea.

Following Wales' transfer deadline day switch to the Terriers, 19-year-old academy product Woodward has been promoted to Swansea's first-team squad.

An attacking midfielder or forward, Wales youth international Woodward joined Swansea when aged eight and has been a regular goalscorer for the club's under-18s and under-21s.

Wales made his Huddersfield debut as a substitute in their 2-2 draw with Blackpool last weekend, coming on for the final 33 minutes, and will aim to feature once more when the Terriers host Doncaster Rovers on Tuesday.

The hope for Vitor Matos is that 20-year-old Wales will play regular football during his spell in League One, while Woodward will fill in for him at Swansea.

"I think it's important that Bobby plays consistently from now on to keep his development, and as well for us to keep and eye on him with proper competition," Swansea's head coach said.

"With that, we create space as well for Woody (Woodward) to train with the first team. That is important for us to see.

"He's a good player on the academy and we want him to do a next step as well. We used the academy and I think that's why I'm really happy."

Gareth Vincent
BBC Sport Wales

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Swansea City were hovering above the Championship relegation zone when Vitor Matos was named head coach of the Welsh club in late November.

Their position quickly became more perilous, following defeats to Derby County the day after Matos' appointment and against West Brom later that week.

After that alarming loss at The Hawthorns, when Swansea collapsed having led 2-0 inside 11 minutes, Matos' side were only outside the bottom three on goal difference.

Yet 13 league games and 25 points later, Matos found himself answering questions about his team's chances of reaching the play-offs after Sunday's win against Sheffield Wednesday.

It has been quite the turnaround.

Relegation concerns are not completely eliminated but, with 15 league games still ahead, it would take another spectacular change in form for Swansea to be drawn into a prolonged scrap to stay out of the bottom three.

And realistically, though the gap to the top six is only five points, 15th-placed Swansea would need to do something extraordinary to finish the season in the play-off places.

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If Matos' team can somehow mirror the sparkling form of their previous 13 league matches over the next 13, they would have 67 points on the board with two games of the season remaining.

Traditionally, something between 70 and 75 points would secure sixth place in the second tier – although there are odd seasons.

Last May, for example, Bristol City claimed the final play-off spot with only 68 points, while Coventry had only 69 in fifth.

Since the beginning of December, Swansea have been one of the top sides in the division in terms of points return.

Can Matos' rejuvenated squad maintain their current form through until the final stages of the season?

They will have a better idea about their chances by the end of February, with games against Derby (who are currently ninth), Bristol City (eighth), Preston (seventh) and Ipswich (third) to come this month.

Should Swansea come through that run with a decent points haul, talk of play-off possibilities will grow a little louder.

For the moment, the club's fans will be enjoying an opportunity to look up the table rather than down.

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Sheffield Wednesday boss Henrik Pedersen says Swansea City deserve "big respect" for their tactical approach under Vitor Matos.

Swansea thumped Pedersen's relegation-bound Owls side 4-0 on Sunday to continue their improvement under Matos.

The Swans had won only four of their 16 Championship games in 2025-26 when Matos was appointed as successor to Alan Sheehan in November.

They have since claimed eight victories in 15 league games to climb to within five points of the play-off places in 15th.

Defeat at the Swansea.com Stadium continued the Owls' desperate form, but Pedersen felt the home side deserved credit for their emphatic victory.

"Swansea is a fantastic team, one of the best teams in the league on the ball," the Dane said.

"They are a tough team to press and at the same time really well organised defensively.

"It was tough to press against them. We have seen eight, nine games and it's generally a picture – [so] big respect for the quality of them."

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Vitor Matos says Swansea City must "celebrate the small things" as they look to continue their fine home form against bottom-club Sheffield Wednesday on Sunday (12:01 GMT).

Since losing their first game under Matos at home to Derby in November, Swansea have taken 16 points from six league fixtures on their own patch.

They will aim to extend that sparkling run against a Wednesday side who have lost seven straight Championship fixtures and have not scored in their past eight.

Thanks in part to EFL points deductions, the Owls are 34 points adrift at the foot of the table with relegation to League One already an inevitability.

But Matos has warned his players that nothing will come easy even though Wednesday are in "a hard situation".

"If we look to all their recent past games, they always stayed in the game until the end," he said.

"They always have a way to compete and I think even when they lost games, they are really close in terms of numbers. We have full respect.

"It will be a game where more than anything we need to celebrate the small things. We need to celebrate the proper tackle, we need to celebrate a good press, we need to celebrate a good clearance out of the box, a good cross, a corner."

Matos says Swansea's fans will have a part to play, particularly given the early kick-off time.

"We hope that the stadium goes with us because it's a game at a special time of the day as well," he added.

"If we can have the energy of the stadium in a way that we understand that the small things will be really important, I think that will be massive."

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Vitor Matos accepts there will be more interest in Zan Vipotnik this summer if the Slovenia striker keeps on firing at Swansea City.

Vipotnik is the Championship's leading scorer with 13 goals in 2025-26, while he has also netted twice in cup games and for his national side.

Swansea are thought to have fielded enquiries about Vipotnik during the mid-season transfer window, though there were no late bids before Monday's transfer deadline.

Matos says there are likely to be more suitors for the 23-year-old in the close season if he maintains his current form.

"It's the normal circle of football I would say," said the Swansea head coach.

Matos added that Swansea had back-up plans in case a major bid for Vipotnik was made before the mid-season deadline.

Image source, Huw Evans Picture Agency

The Portuguese was not too worried about offers because Swansea would only have sold at the right price.

"We knew what we wanted if that kind of thing happened," he added.

"We were covered if that kind of thing happened, but we knew as well that to fulfil our demands was probably not easy [for another club] to do."

When asked whether Vipotnik has the potential to thrive at Premier League level, former Liverpool coach Matos added: "It will always depend where he goes, how he fits the squad, how he fits the style.

"I think he has a lot of qualities. He has much more [to come] as well, that's what I said before.

"He helps so much the team at the moment, pressing-wise, setting triggers, being a reference. So he's improving his game as well.

"And I think if he keeps on that direction, he's becoming a more complete number nine. The more complete he becomes, the closer he is to having an impact on the future for his career."

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Sheffield Wednesday will seek to avoid unwanted history when they travel to Swansea on Sunday (12:01 GMT).

The rock-bottom Owls are edging closer to League One and Tuesday's 1-0 defeat at Blackburn means they have now lost seven straight Championship games and gone eight league games without scoring - their last goal was scored by Bailey Cadamarteri in the Boxing Day draw with Hull City. They have never gone nine league matches without a goal in their history.

The Swans are 16th going into the weekend, seven points clear of the relegation zone and are unbeaten at home since November, winning five of their past six matches there and drawing the other, conceding only three goals in that run.

• In what is the 19th different league campaign in which the sides have met, Swansea are looking to complete the league double over Sheffield Wednesday for the first time.

• Sheffield Wednesday have won just one of their past seven away league games against Swansea (D3 L3), though it was in this exact fixture last season (1-0).

• Since the start of December only Middlesbrough (8) and Hull City (8) have won more Championship games than Swansea (W7 D1 L4).

• Sheffield Wednesday have failed to score in any of their last eight league games. Never before have they gone nine without a goal in their league history (also 8 in March/April 1975).

• Swansea's Zan Vipotnik is the top scorer in the Championship with 13 goals, while no player has netted more at home than the Slovenian (9, level with Jaden Philogene).

Luke Hemmings
BBC Sport Wales

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As Swansea City's revival under boss Vitor Matos continues to gather momentum, Iwan Roberts believes a top-half finish would now represent a strong season - especially given the dismal start the Welsh side made under Alan Sheehan.

When Matos took charge on 24 November, Swansea were 20th and only four points above relegation. They now sit seven points clear of danger and just eight behind Wrexham in sixth, a gap Roberts thinks could still narrow.

"It's there for whatever team wants to get hold of it," the former Wales striker told the Feast of Football podcast.

The Swans improvement was highlighted by last weekend's impressive 2–0 win at Watford, only Matos' second away victory, backed by a 2.78 xG.

"That's a great away win considering they'd lost seven of their previous eight away games," added Roberts.

With the January window now closed, top scorer Zan Vipotnik remains at the club - another ex-Wales international Sam Vokes commenting "sometimes it is important what you hold on to more so than what you bring in".

In terms of incomings, Swansea added winger Gustavo Nunes, experienced right-back Joel Ward, and attacking midfielder Leo Walta, whose arrival in particular has generated excitement with Vokes telling the podcast he is "the best of the lot".

The Finland international scored 16 goals in 30 appearances last season for IK Sirius and Roberts believes Walta's numbers "would suggest that he can make you a goal".

Swansea have scored an average of one goal or fewer in 22 of their 30 matches and supporters will be hoping, like Vokes, that Walta will "improve that statistic" - especially as Ronald is Swansea's second top scorer with only four goals. Vipotnik, is the Championship leading marksman with 13 goals, while he has also managed two in the cups.

At Watford, Marko Stamenic also impressed, contributing a goal and assist.

With Walta's arrival, Swansea now have genuine midfield competition and added creativity, qualities that Roberts feels Matos' side have been lacking.

Roberts also highlighted Swansea's crucial next six fixtures, against Sheffield Wednesday, Derby, Bristol City, Preston, Ipswich and Stoke.

While Vokes believes Matos can be "quite happy with the squad he's got", Roberts believes supporters may have wanted a more well-known, experienced winger alongside a centre-half.

Even so, Roberts feels Swansea are well-placed to progress adding: "I think a top-half finish would be good for Swansea.

"Matos has come in, won half of his games, won 16 points from his home games. Sheehan took them to 11th last year so considering where they were when Matos took over, I think a top-half finish would be a decent season for Swansea."

The Swans host bottom club Wednesday on Sunday (12:01 GMT) aiming to continue a run that has seen them lose just once in their last five matches.

Luke Hemmings
BBC Sport Wales

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Marko Stamenic doubled his goal and assist tally for the season as he played a decisive role in Swansea's 2-0 victory over Watford on Saturday.

The midfielder scored and assisted in the Swans' first away win since Oxford on 29 December to lift Vitor Matos' side ten points clear of the relegation places.

"I don't think you can beat that. We've been working hard week in, week out and now to finally win away against a really good opponent with the fans and everything, it's overwhelming," he said.

The New Zealand International opened the scoring on the weekend, reacting at the far post to tap in a goal-bound Vipotnik header.

Set-pieces have been a major strength for Swansea - accounting for 10 of their 34 league goals - and with Stamenic boasting the most interceptions per 90 minutes of any player in the squad, his influence has grown at both ends of the pitch.

"We know we are a strong force with set pieces, I'm happy to be able to take that chance."

Later in the game, he turned provider, setting up Josh Key, who had only just come onto the pitch, for what he called "a crucial goal".

Stamenic has started 19 Championship matches since his £2 million arrival from Nottingham Forest in the summer, and says he is relishing life in South Wales.

"I'm very proud to represent Swansea. We have all the ingredients to do amazing things and hopefully get into the playoffs.

"Every game matters, every point matters. We're focused on ourselves and doing everything to win."

With Snoop Dogg's recent comments about his plans to make Swansea a "global name", Stamenic believes the co-owner's words can only advance the Welsh side's progression.

"To hear someone like Snoop Dogg say of his ambition is a huge credit to the people around Swansea that make it a whole organisation," he said.

"The ambition drives us, gives us that confidence to every day come into training and work hard for this club."

Swansea are now eight points off sixth-placed Wrexham and face bottom-of-the-table Sheffield Wednesday next as they look to continue their momentum which has seen them lose just once in their last five matches.

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