Russell Martin | Belief is key for Blades clash

Russell Martin wants his Swansea City side to be bold and believe in themselves when they return to action against high-flying Sheffield United at the Swansea.com Stadium this evening (7.45pm).

The Swans are looking to make it back-to-back home wins having picked up their first victory in SA1 this term against Queens Park Rangers last time out.

The Blades, meanwhile, sit atop the Championship table and are on a seven-match unbeaten run in the league since their opening defeat at Watford.

The south Yorkshire club have retained a number of players who featured during their two-year stint in the Premier League, and Martin expects a tough test.

But the head coach wants his team to approach the assignment with the right mentality, and has no doubt they are capable of upsetting the visitors provided they show a belief in your play that the crowd can feed off under the lights.

“They are a team who are filled with excellent players with loads of Premier League experience and top-of-the-Championship experience,” said Martin.

“They have real physicality and athleticism and they are a really good side.

“It will be a really tough game for us, but I hope the players play with the sort of belief that we have in them.

“We feel though we can give them a really good game. It’s up to us to approach it with the right mentality.

“With that in this league you have a chance against anyone. I think you can see that already with the way the league has been.

“It’s still early days and it’s a game to be excited about. I’m sure it will be a good game for everyone to watch.

“The fans have such a big part to play here. It’s part of what makes this club so unique. The understanding of what we’re trying to do and the way we want the game to be played.

“The players enjoyed the win against QPR, I think everyone did and you could see that at the end of the game.

“The atmosphere was incredible, the best we’ve had since we’ve been here. The fans really helped the players over the line in the second half.

“The way the guys attacked the game and the number of opportunities we created certainly helped the energy in the stadium, and we loved the atmosphere.

“The next step for the players will be to score more goals. Against Stoke and QPR we should have scored more.

“We looked a real threat in both games. It’s about balancing the threat by making sure we have as much control as we’d like.”