Scotland's Welsh avoids serious knee injury

What the report says

Swansea City have been handed a positive update on Stephen Welsh after the defender was assessed for a knee problem sustained in Tuesday’s 3-1 Championship defeat at Portsmouth. The club had feared the Scotland international might have ligament damage following a challenge from Ebou Adams, but scans found no significant injury, according to BBC Sport.

Head coach Vitor Matos said Welsh’s issue is a painful knock rather than a serious setback, and Swansea will decide closer to Saturday whether he can be involved against Birmingham City. Welsh has been a regular for Swansea this season, starting 13 of their 14 league matches, so his potential return would be an important boost to the back line.

There was further mixed fitness news from the squad. Wingers Moussa Yeo and Eom Jisung are set to return for the trip to Birmingham, while midfielder Stephen Eustaquio remains sidelined with a groin problem and Melker Widell is out after a minor hamstring injury. Ben Cabango also had a fitness concern before the Portsmouth match, but he is available for selection.

The update matters because Swansea have been dealing with several injuries at once, affecting team selection at a busy point in the season. BBC Sport also reported that Eustaquio has been withdrawn from Canada duty, while a later return for Widell is expected when West Brom visit on 21 November.