Swansea City were this afternoon handed a major injury blow in the buildup to their FA Cup 5th-round clash with Sheffield Wednesday.
Matchup
The two sides are currently locked in action at Hillsborough, with hosts Wednesday coming into proceedings on the back of just 1 loss from their last 9 fixtures across all competitions, with their latest result an impressive 2-0 victory over Derby County.
Swansea, meanwhile, head into today’s clash brimming with confidence of their own, following an incredible turnaround in the club’s fortunes since the appointment of manager Carlos Carvalhal at the Liberty Stadium late last year.
Since the Portuguese tactician’s arrival in Wales, the Swans have lost just 1 of their 11 outings across all competitions, picking up 6 wins over that span (including versus Arsenal and Liverpool).
Teams
The starting lineups of both clubs were announced an hour prior to kick-off, with Carvalhal’s replacement at Hillsborough, Jos Luhukay, opting for the following:
Here is our team news today v @SwansOfficial, in association with @Ladbrokes #swfcLIVE pic.twitter.com/GykzKFmLIa
— Sheffield Wednesday (@swfc) February 17, 2018
Carvalhal himself, meanwhile, named the following XI:
Here’s how we line up against @swfc this afternoon…#SHESWA pic.twitter.com/BbHGdajyPv
— Swansea City AFC (@SwansOfficial) February 17, 2018
However, in a major blow for Swansea shortly before kick-off, it was announced that star defender Alfie Mawson had picked up an injury during his side’s warm-up, with the English stopper since replaced by Kyle Naughton in the Swans’ starting XI.
There’s a late change for the #Swans as @Knaughts88 starts after Alfie Mawson was injured in the warm-up. @adnan_maric will now take his place on the bench.#SHESWA pic.twitter.com/XHPHb5qy5c
— Swansea City AFC (@SwansOfficial) February 17, 2018
The severity of Mawson’s problem remains unclear.
Swansea boss Carlos Carvalhal showcases his class at press conference (Video)