Swansea City have received positive news from the medical department after scans confirmed that key centre-back Stephen Welsh did not sustain a serious knee injury. The 26-year-old Scotland international was forced off during Tuesday's 3-1 loss against Portsmouth following a tackle from Ebou Adams. Swansea initially feared the defender had suffered ligament damage, but medical checks revealed no major underlying issue, meaning Welsh could even be involved in Saturday's trip to face Chris Davies' in-form Birmingham City side.
Swansea head coach Vitor Matos confirmed the positive outcome, noting that the issue is primarily one of pain rather than long-term damage. "Welshy's scan is clear. It's just really a bad knock so there's nothing major," Matos explained. "We will still assess if he will be available for Saturday, but it's not a bad injury. It's just a knock that is really, really painful." Welsh has been a key figure for Swansea this season, starting 13 of the club's 14 league fixtures. A determination has not yet been made regarding whether he will be cleared to join the Scotland squad for the international break following the Birmingham fixture.
Matos has also received further encouragement with wingers Moussa Yeo and Eom Jisung declared fit to return for the weekend. Yeo is available after sitting out Swansea's previous three matches because of a hamstring problem, while Eom returns to contention after sustaining a knock in the 4-0 victory against Blackburn. In addition, club captain Ben Cabango is available for Birmingham; he had been held out of training prior to Portsmouth with a fitness concern before stepping off the bench to replace Welsh at Fratton Park. However, Melker Widell is sidelined with a minor hamstring strain sustained during Tuesday's match, and midfielder Stephen Eustaquio remains absent due to a groin injury picked up after scoring against Blackburn.
Eustaquio, the former Porto player, has consequently been pulled out of international duty with Canada, with Swansea aiming to have both him and Widell back in time for the Baggies' visit when they host West Bromwich Albion on Saturday, 21 November. Despite the revolving door in the treatment room, Matos is focused on navigating the squad through their fitness hurdles. "In this moment unfortunately we are having a few knocks and that creates a little bit of instability regarding the starting XI and the availability of players," Matos stated. "You need to learn how to deal with the situations and that's it. It's hard to manage, but we will find a way of course."