"We must give the correct answers"

25th January
First team

Carlos Carvalhal insists his side must be prepared to give the “correct answers” when they face Notts County in the fourth round of the FA Cup on Saturday.

The Swans make the trip to Meadow Lane on the back of Monday night’s emphatic victory over Liverpool and after seeing off Championship leaders Wolves in the third round.

Since Carvalhal’s arrival in South Wales, the Swans have tasted defeat just once in seven games.

But despite the recent change in momentum, the Portuguese manager insists his side must be ready for a totally different test against the League Two high-flyers.

“It will be a totally different game,” said the Portuguese manager. “When I said Liverpool were like a Formula One car, I also meant because of their style of play. They are very fast in the offensive transition.

“Against Notts County it will be different. Of course we are the bigger side, but we will respect Notts County. We will pick a team that can win the game.

“Especially in England, opponents will always ask you questions, so we must give the correct answers. Even the smaller teams are very organised and difficult to play against.

“And as we have seen in the cup competitions, such as the Carabao Cup, there can be surprises. We have to be ready and focused. If we do that, we will have a big advantage.

“We will prepare the team as well as we can to progress in this competition.”

Meanwhile, Carvalhal revealed he has no injury concerns ahead of Saturday's cup clash, with the likes of Tammy Abraham, Angel Rangel and Renato Sanches all returning to full fitness.

But despite insisting that he will respect the competition, Carvalhal admitted he would not be taking any risks with players at Meadow Lane.

“Our priority, of course, is staying in the Premier League, so we will not take risks in this game," added Carvalhal. "But we will respect the competition and will respect Notts County.

"When I was young, with black and white screen on TV, the final of the FA Cup was on TV in Portugal on a Saturday afternoon.

"I know its importance, but the problem now is the calendar. It is very bad - sometimes you play Saturday to Saturday or Saturday to Tuesday, and now we are three days away from the Arsenal game and playing in the cup."