Ben Cabango and Stephen Welsh available for Birmingham clash

Vitor Matos has confirmed skipper Ben Cabango and Stephen Welsh are available for Swansea City’s season-opening Carabao Cup clash with Birmingham City on Saturday afternoon.

The defensive duo return to contention after recovering from illness, while Zan Vipotnik is also available for the Swans’ first competitive fixture of the 2026-27 season.

Tiago Parente could also be in line to make his Swansea debut following his loan move from Benfica.  

However, new recruit Ross Stewart will miss Saturday’s contest as he works to build up his fitness after his short break following Scotland's World Cup campaign.

“Ross won't be involved in this game,” Matos confirmed during his pre-match press conference.

“Of course, he missed all of pre-season at the moment, so we will need to start step by step, getting him into the team. Then, in the future, for sure.”

Midfielder Gonçalo Franco will also remain unavailable as he continues his recovery from an ankle injury sustained during pre-season.

"Franco is our only player missing through injury," said Matos.

“He is making really good steps in terms of returning back.

“Of course, he only did one week of pre-season, so the return will always depend a little bit on how that part goes.

“Let's say that timeframe is in the equation, but it can be one week after our outline.”