Vitor Matos urges Swansea City to combine passion and clarity

Swansea City boss Vitor Matos has urged his side to feed off the emotional charge but play with clarity when they host Wrexham in an all-Welsh Championship clash tonight (8pm).

The Swans and the Dragons lock horns for the first time in nearly 20 years under the Friday night lights at the Swansea.com Stadium, with their previous meeting having been the 2006 FAW Premier Cup final, while the teams also played out the final game at Swansea’s old Vetch Field home in 2005.

With south v north bragging rights at stake as the top two Welsh sides in the football pyramid face off in SA1, Matos knows it will be a full-blooded occasion.

And he wants the Swans to strike the right balance when it comes to embracing the passion of the fixture, while having the accuracy to carry out their gameplan.

“We know this is the sort of game that comes with a different emotional charge, and we will need this emotion and this passion to drive us forward,” he said.

“That will be important, but we will also need clarity, discipline and to show our identity in our game.

“We are at home, we have great support every game. Playing in our stadium, in front of our fans means a lot for us. It is a special place to be and I believe the connection between the team and the supporters is growing and growing.

“We need to have that connection to be stronger, we have an opportunity to bounce back from the last game and get closer to how we want to be.

“We have respect for Wrexham and what they have done over recent years, and how they are doing this season too. They have lost just one of their last 10 games, so it will be a tough game and a good game and we will need to be on our toes.

“But, as I said, we are at home, playing for our fans and that needs to mean more. In this moment we are in we want to use this emotional charge to push us forward.”