Alan Pardew is looking forward to playing host this evening as a slice of the Premier League comes to St. Mary's in the form of Alex McLeish's Birmingham City…
Saints have already sold over 9,500 tickets and are expecting around 13 or 14,000 in total, with tickets now priced at £15 for adults or just £5 for concessions.
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The Blues will staking their claim for a more permanent position in the top flight this season, but will also be keen to progress in the cup competition that represents their only major honour, after triumphing over arch rivals Aston Villa in 1963.
Saints are equally keen to do well and a repeat of last season's 2-0 second round victory would do nicely according to manager Alan Pardew.
"It's a shame we can't have a Premiership team coming to St. Mary's every week, but we'll make do with this one," he joked.
"They are a side that are trying to find their feet in the Premier League. I think they will field a strong team tonight because Alex McLeish wants to get his side nailed down for the League, a little bit like us.
"They carry some real quality in their squad, and it will be a real test for some of our guys, but were going into it to win the game and we're going to put out the best team we can.
He added: "I'm still learning about my players too, so this game comes at a good time for me. A lot of managers might not fancy another match this week, but I actually think it will be good for the squad as a whole."
Pardew will be forced to make several changes from the side that lined-up against Brentford on Saturday afternoon, but is boosted by news about Graeme Murty.
"One of our players is in talks with another club, and I'm not going to go into details, but he will be eliminated from tonight's squad. Dean Hammond and Neal Trotman are also ineligible as they are both cup-tied.
"Everyone else came through Saturday unscathed, so they're all o.k. and Graeme Murty also trained yesterday and should also be available barring any late reaction."
The fact that two of Pardew's newest additions have already seen Carling Cup action this term is a source of frustration, but should also been seen as an opportunity for others.
"It's a frustration that Dean and Neal are not eligible because I would have played them this evening," Pardew explained. "The more games they get the more comfortable they'll be, so that's a bit of a shame.
"It does open the door for other players who want to give me a tricky decision to make for Saturday though.
"I do think we've been a bit unlucky not to have won one of our two home league games this season, but tonight's is another home game and we've competed well at St. Mary's.
"The home fans have helped us massively and they've been fantastic. We've let our away fans down, but at home we've had some ugly patches in games and they've stuck behind us and seen us through them.
"I can't thank them enough for the support they've given us."
