Match Pack: Saints vs Swansea
Get game-ready for Southampton’s return to Sky Bet Championship action, as Saints welcome Swansea City to St Mary's in a lunchtime kick-off on Saturday.
THE MATCH
Southampton vs Swansea City
Sky Bet Championship
St Mary’s Stadium
Saturday 18th October, 12.30pm BST
THE OFFICIALS
Referee: Josh Smith
Assistants: Sam Lewis, Alex James
Fourth official: Gavin Ward
THE KITS
Saints will, of course, wear our traditional home colours of red and white striped shirts, black shorts and white socks. Visitors Swansea will wear their maroon away shirt with dark green shorts and maroon socks.
TICKETS
The match is a Category B fixture and tickets remain on general sale, with Adult tickets priced from £25 and Under-18s from £15.
LIVE COVERAGE
For those unable to make it to St Mary’s, the game will be broadcast live on Sky Sports+, while Saints Play match passes are available to supporters outside the UK.
THE PROGRAMME
The matchday programme is available to order online, as well as from the various sellers around St Mary’s.
In-form striker Adam Armstrong tackles our new A-Z of Football feature, while you can also find Will Still’s programme notes, the latest from our Women’s team after back-to-back south coast derby victories, a healthy dose of nostalgia from our club historians and everything you need to know about our visitors.
WHAT’S AT STAKE?
Just a solitary point separates Saints in 17th and Swansea in 12th in the Championship table, meaning Saints would leapfrog their opponents with victory.
Saints had a decent week before the international break, taking a total of five points from games at home to league leaders Middlesbrough and away at Sheffield United and Derby.
After taking seven points from their four August fixtures, the Swans have won only one of their five league outings since, losing 3-1 at home to Leicester last time out.
TEAM NEWS
Will Still confirmed in his pre-match press conference that Ross Stewart will be sidelined until 2026 with the hamstring injury that forced him off in the first half of the trip to Derby.
A late decision will be made on defender Joshua Quarshie after the German returned from international duty earlier than planned due to a groin problem.
Swansea head coach Alan Sheehan announced “a few bumps and bruises” among the club’s returning internationals, but only long-term absentee Ricardo Santos is confirmed to be out.
THE MANAGERS
Will Still: “We need to believe in ourselves a bit more, have a bit more confidence in what we’re doing, and not just feel sorry for ourselves when things don’t quite go the way we want them to go.
“You don’t turn a season of so many losses into something brilliant and beautiful overnight, or in the space of one or two months. We’ve got a clear goal, a clear objective until the next international break, and we’ll work to get as many points as we can.”
Alan Sheehan: "I think it (Southampton) is another team with a new manager transitioning into a way they want to play.
"It's definitely not a game to underestimate. Southampton are a difficult team with individuals that are highly capable for the level."
ONES TO WATCH
Adam Armstrong: With three goals in his last five games, Armstrong is showing signs of rediscovering his best form.
The striker hit 24 goals in the 2023/24 promotion-winning season, and has scored at least 16 league goals in each of his last three full Championship campaigns.
Žan Vipotnik: With six goals in 11 games, Vipotnik has made a flying start to his second season as a Swan.
Scoring seven goals last term, the Slovenian striker is already on the verge of matching that tally, and recently returned from two substitute appearances in World Cup qualifying.
TOP PERFORMERS
Saints
Goals:
Armstrong 3
Archer, Manning, Stewart 2
Seven players 1
Assists:
Fraser 2
Nine players 1
Swansea
Goals:
Vipotnik 6
Ronald 4
Burgess 2
Assists:
Inoussa, Tymon 2
Nine players 1
FORM GUIDE
Saints
Derby (a) SBC: D 1-1 (Armstrong)
Sheff Utd (a) SBC: W 2-1 (Stewart 2)
Middlesbrough (h) SBC: D 1-1 (Armstrong)
Liverpool (a) CC3: L 1-2 (Charles)
Hull (a) SBC: L 1-3 (Armstrong)
Swansea
Leicester (h) SBC: L 1-3 (Idah pen)
Blackburn (a) SBC: W 2-1 (Franco, Cullen)
Millwall (h) SBC: D 1-1 (Vipotnik)
Birmingham (a) SBC: L 0-1
Nott'm Forest (h) CC3: W 3-2 (Burgess 2, Vipotnik)
HEAD TO HEAD
Played: 74
Saints wins: 38
Draws: 16
Swans wins: 20
LAST FIVE MEETINGS
Jan 2025: Saints 3-0 Swansea FA Cup third round (Kamaldeen, Dibling 2)
Jan 2024: Swansea 1-3 Saints Championship (Adams, Smallbone, Downes)
Dec 2023: Saints 5-0 Swansea Championship (Aribo, Edozie, Fraser 2, Adams)
Jan 2022: Swansea 2-3 Saints FA Cup third round (Redmond, Elyounoussi, Long)
May 2018: Swansea 0-1 Saints Premier League (Gabbiadini)
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