Swansea City will have natural Oli McBurnie worry - it involves Leeds and Stoke records | OneFootball

Swansea City have a dismal record when it comes to conceding against former players, Oli McBurnie's return to SA1 will be a worry

Swansea City return to action after the international break when they welcome Hull City to the Swansea.com Stadium on Saturday, and there's likely to be a familiar face in the starting lineup for the Tigers.

Former Swans striker Oli McBurnie joined Hull in the summer after leaving Las Palmas, and has got off to a very decent start for the Tigers, bagging two goals and registering three assists in five appearances across all competitions.

Swansea were linked with a summer move for McBurnie, who played alongside current Swans boss Alan Sheehan as a youngster at Bradford City, and many of the Jack Army were disappointed to miss out on the Scottish international who proved a popular figure during his days as a Swansea player.

Playing against a former player always brings a level of dread for Swansea supporters, and no doubt McBurnie's return on Saturday will leave home supporters feeling anxious.

Swansea City have an awful record when it comes to facing former players

It's a running joke amongst Swansea supporters that former players lining up against them will inevitably find the back of the net, and it's easy to see why the Jack Army will be dreading McBurnie's return.

The Scottish international played against Swansea on four occasions as a Sheffield United player, scoring the final goal in their 3-0 win back in February 2023, but that's just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the Swans' record against former players.

The two clubs that have really haunted Swansea with former players scoring have been Leeds United and Stoke City, with a host of ex-Swans bagging goals against them in recent years.

Thankfully for Swansea supporters, Leeds are now plying their trade in the Premier League, but they've been haunted in recent seasons with Dan James and Joel Piroe scoring against them.

Both James and Piroe were on the scoresheet in November 2023 as Farke's side recorded a 3-1 victory, while Piroe also scored in the reverse fixture later that season as Leeds comfortably swept Swansea away.

Meanwhile, the likes of Sam Clucas, Wilfried Bony and even Swansea legend Joe Allen have been on the scoresheet against the Swans for Stoke in recent seasons, and it's not hard to understand why supporters think they're cursed when it comes to facing former players.

Bony scored just two goals for the Potters during his unsuccessful loan spell, with both of them coming against Swansea, while Clucas scored in three consecutive games against his former club, despite scoring only two goals during his season in South Wales.

There are plenty of other examples too. Morgan Gibbs-White scored a brace in Sheffield United's 4-0 win over Swansea in 2022, just a couple of months later Sam Surridge bagged a hat-trick for Nottingham Forest in a 5-1 rout and even Scott Sinclair scored his first Preston goal against the club where he made a name for himself.

Swansea face McBurnie on Saturday and could well come up against Gibbs-White a couple of days later when they host Nottingham Forest in the Carabao Cup and supporters will be praying that history doesn't repeat itself.

Swansea City hope Adam Idah will be the one making headlines, not Oli McBurnie

Swansea ended their summer-long search for a striker when they announced the signing of Adam Idah from Celtic on deadline day, and the Irishman looks set to make his debut for the club on Saturday.

It's been well-documented that McBurnie was one of the strikers Swansea looked at in the summer, and had Hull not come in for him, he could well have been lining up for the home side this weekend, but Sheehan's side have to move on from that and Idah can make a statement by outplaying his opposite number.

Given their dismal record against former players, keeping McBurnie quiet on Saturday would be a real statement of intent, and it would be a pleasant surprise if the former Swan didn't get on the scoresheet.

It remains to be seen whether Idah will come straight into the starting XI, particularly with Zan Vipotnik's impressive recent form, but he'll surely play some part on Saturday and will be looking to make an instant impact.

A win against the Tigers could turn a decent start to the season into a good one, and keeping McBurnie quiet will be pivotal if Swansea are to seal all three points.