Play for the shirt, says Carlos

Carlos Carvalhal has told his players to play for their shirt – and themselves – when they face Stoke City this weekend.

Swansea City face the Potters in the final game of the Premier League season at the Liberty on Sunday (3pm).

While Stoke have already been relegated, the Swans need a victory, a defeat for Southampton and a massive swing in the goal difference column to pull off what would be an extraordinary escape from the drop.

Carvalhal has acknowledged that the odds are stacked against his team surviving.

But whether the Swans stay up or not, Carvalhal wants to see a performance packed with commitment and desire.

“The best motivation for the players is to play for Swansea first,” Carvalhal said.

“After that, they must play for themselves.

“They must show everybody they are Premier League footballers. This is the challenge.

“If they do that, then hopefully we will win the game.”

Carvalhal reckons the fact that the Swans are now rank outsiders to stay up could benefit them in their last game of the season.

“With no pressure, the players might do some things better than they have in the last few weeks,” he added.

“This is normal when the pressure is off.”