Swansea City’s Vitor Matos Calls for Strong Start Against Sheffield United
Swansea City prepares to take on Sheffield United this Saturday at 15:00 BST, with head coach Vitor Matos emphasizing the importance of making a strong impression in their first home Championship match of the season.
The team performed impressively at the Swansea.com Stadium last season following Matos’s appointment as head coach in November, accumulating 30 points from their last 15 matches and securing a mid-table finish after a challenging start to the 2025-26 campaign. Matos is now urging his side to continue this momentum in their upcoming fixture against the Blades.
“We want to be a team that no one feels comfortable to play against, especially at our stadium,” Matos stated. He highlighted the necessity of connecting with fans, explaining that strong energy and intensity from the players will foster that relationship. “It’s up to us as a team to take the first step by showing energy, intensity, hard work, and our football.”
Despite suffering a recent defeat against Birmingham City in the EFL Cup at home, Swansea enters the match with a positive outlook after winning against Stoke City last week, marking a strong start in this season’s Championship.
Matos anticipates a tough challenge ahead against Chris Wilder’s Sheffield United, a team that finished two places and four points below Swansea last season. He acknowledged Wilder’s experience, stating, “Chris is a really experienced manager who knows the league really well. His teams are always competitive and have a clear plan, so we expect a difficult game.”
As Swansea looks to impose their style of play, Matos remains focused on ensuring his players rise to the occasion on Saturday.
Swansea City host Sheffield United on Saturday (15:00 BST) with Vitor Matos urging his players to set the tone for their fans in the opening home Championship game of the new season.
Swansea were formidable on their own patch following the appointment of Matos as head coach last November.
Having struggled in the early stages of 2025-26, Matos' side banked 30 points from 15 league fixtures at the Swansea.com Stadium as they pulled clear of a potential relegation scrap to finish in mid-table.
He wants more of the same this season – and wants his side to set the standards as they take on the Blades.
"We want to be a team that no-one feels comfortable to play against, and especially at our stadium," the Portuguese said.
"We need that connection between the fans and the squad and it's up to us as a team to give the first step by showing energy, by showing intensity, by showing hard work, by showing our football.
"Then the fans give it back and that connection is really important for us. It was really important last season and will be really important this season as well."
Swansea were beaten on their own ground by Birmingham City in the EFL Cup a fortnight ago.
But they take on Sheffield United having made the ideal start to the new Championship campaign by winning at Stoke City last Saturday.
Matos expects a stern test against Chris Wilder's team, who finished 13th last season, two places and four points below Swansea.
"Chris is a really experienced manager who knows the league really well," Matos said.
"Every time his teams are really competitive and they have a clear plan of what to do on the pitch, so we count on a difficult game.
"We need to find a way to impose our game and that's what we will try."
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