Swans chase away success as they start on the road yet again

[Getty Images] Swansea City fans may not have been surprised to discover that their team will head off on their travels on the opening weekend of the new season. In recent times, after all, it has usually been the way. Swansea's trip to Stoke City on the weekend of 15 August will be their third successive away fixture on the opening day of a new campaign. More remarkably, it will be the Swans' 17th opening-day away game in the past 20 seasons. The three home fixtures in the past two decades were a draw with Birmingham in 2023-24, a win over Hull City in 2019-20 and a 4-1 defeat by Manchester United 12 years ago. The Swans will head to Stoke looking for a first opening-day win since Morgan Gibbs-White began his loan from Wolves with the only goal at Preston in 2020-21. That was one of five Swansea away successes in nine seasons, a run which also included triumphs at Sheffield United, Burnley, Queens Park Rangers and – most memorably – Manchester United, when Ki Sung-Yueng (pictured above) and Gylfi Sigurdsson struck either side of a goal from Wayne Rooney. Can Swansea begin the 2026-27 campaign with another triumph on their travels? Certainly, they will head to Stoke knowing nothing will come easy in the Potteries. Swansea have won only once in 15 visits to the Bet365 Stadium since a goal from Kristian O'Leary – who is now part of the Welsh club's coaching staff - secured a 2-1 away success in 2001. The one Swansea victory since then came in 2020-21, when Andre Ayew's contentious late penalty gave Steve Cooper's side all three points.