Vitor Matos | This is a good test for us

Vitor Matos acknowledges Swansea City face one of the toughest away day assignments in the Championship this afternoon, but insists he and his squad travel with belief and a readiness to compete at Portman Road.

The Swans make the journey to Suffolk as firm underdogs against an Ipswich side who are in the automatic promotion hunt, and have lost just once at home in the league all season.

Swansea’s showings on their travels have certainly improved over recent months, but they have not garnered the points those showings have perhaps merited, losing eight of their last 10 away games.

But Matos and his players know this is exactly the sort of test they have to embrace if they are to continue to move in the right direction and become the team they want to be.

“I think it is one of the toughest away games in the division,” said the Swans boss. 

“We have not had the results we want, especially when you consider some of our performances away from home, but we cannot think about what has happened in the past.

“We have to look to the next hurdle and the next challenge.

“Ipswich are a very good team, they are well organised with a really good manager, plus a squad that has an identity and way of playing that has been built over his time there.

“So they are consistent in how they play, they are clear in what they want to do with the ball and in how they defend.

“They are a balanced team, they use transitions and pressing really well. They are one of the better teams in the league, and the table suggests that too.

“But that is good because we want to build a team that is ready to compete against anyone, and that is what we are going there to do.

“We go there to compete and to try to win, and that will not change for us.”