Swansea City are sweating on the fitness of key player Cameron Burgess ahead of their opening game at Stoke City. Burgess limped out of action in the 87th minute of a Carabao Cup first round 1-0 defeat to Birmingham at home on Saturday. He landed awkwardly and there are fears he could have suffered Achilles damage. Manager Vitor Matos had already used all his substitutions on the afternoon so had to play out the closing stages a man short. That problem was put in the shade by worries that Burgess's injury could be serious.
What happened?
Burgess was forced off in the 87th minute of a Carabao Cup first round 1-0 defeat to Birmingham at home on Saturday. He landed awkwardly and there are fears he could have suffered Achilles damage. He was taken to hospital for a scan and the results are yet to be made public.
Why it matters for Swansea City
Swansea City fear that Cameron Burgess could miss an opening game at Stoke and a long time beyond after he limped out of action. Manager Vitor Matos has expressed concerns about the severity of the injury. Burgess, aged 30, had played every minute through last season and then starred next to Harry Souttar in the middle of Australia's defence at the World Cup.
What comes next?
Manager Vitor Matos has said that Stephen Welsh and Filip Lissah are on standby for next Saturday's trip to the bet365 Stadium. Swansea had already been linked with Rangers defender John Souttar, Harry's brother, as they wanted to add a centre-half before deadline day. Matos said: “Welshy is more than ready to come in. We can still play Lissah there so there’s plenty of options. Then we go Josh Key on the right, that’s good. All of them are ready at the moment to start."
Transfer news
Swansea City have made five signings so far this window, including free agent striker Ross Stewart, £6m winger Joseph Opoku and £5m midfielder Elijah Just, as well as Welsh and winger Moussa Yeo. They will come up against their old teammate Ethan Galbraith, who has joined Stoke. When asked if there could be an addition before the Stoke game, Matos said: "Let's see. The market's open. Everything can happen. We never know. So we are ready to receive the players that will help us to be a better team."
Swansea City are currently 11th in the Championship, with 64 points from 46 games last season. They have scored 57 goals and conceded 59 this season, with a goal difference of -2. They are 31 points behind leaders Coventry in the title race.
League standing (final 2025 table -- new season not yet under way): 11th in Championship, 64 pts, 18W-10D-18L from 46 games, recent form WDWLW. Goals this season: 57 scored, 59 conceded (-2 goal difference). Title race: 31 points behind leaders Coventry.
