Vitor Matos | We want to respond positively

Head coach Vitor Matos wants his Swansea City side to show a positive reaction when they face Blackburn Rovers on Saturday afternoon (3pm).

The Swans welcome Rovers to SA1 looking to bounce back from consecutive league defeats against West Ham United and Queens Park Rangers.

The Swans conceded five goals in last weekend's defeat in west London, having previously boasted the best defensive record in the Championship.

But despite the setback, Matos' side remain second in the table and the head coach has been pleased with the response shown by his players in training this week as they look to return to winning ways. 

“The players have responded really well. It's been quite a demanding week, as you would all expect,” he said.

“We've had honest conversations between us, and what I've been most pleased with is the reaction on the training pitch, with the intensity and togetherness shown.

“Last week was a reminder for all of us of how competitive the Championship is. All the games are so particular in so many ways, and if you allow your opponentent an advantage they can punish you.

“This league is full of good squads, good players and good managers. You always need to be spot on. What we want to do now is react on Saturday.”

Blackburn head to south Wales in good form, having won four of their last six matches under boss Tony Mowbray.

The visitors currently sit 10th in the Championship table, just outside the play-off places, and will arrive in SA1 in confident mood after recording a 2-0 victory over promotion-hopefuls Wrexham last time out.

And Matos knows his side will face a stern test and will need to be at their best to take all three points.

“It should be a good game,” he added. "They've got a really experienced manager who knows how important it is to be competitive in this league. He likes to play good football, as he's shown in all the teams he's coached.

“They have a good squad, are very organised, aggressive with their goalkeeper press and pick their moments well.

“They have really good offensive dynamics as well, so it's important we are organised defensively and, as always, try to impose ourselves.

“We all understand the disappointment from the fans at the last game. We all felt that and we all wanted to give them the performance they deserved because their support has been unbelievable.

“Now it's up to us to give them our response in that direction, and that's what we will try to do.”