Southampton travel to the Emirates Stadium to face Arsenal in the quarter-finals of the EFL Cup on Wednesday night.
Saints will be hoping to advance to the last four of the competition as they look to win the League Cup for the first time in their history.
Claude Puel’s men bounced back from a run of disappointing results by beating Ronald Koeman’s Everton side 1-0 on the Dutchman’s return to St Mary’s Stadium on Sunday, with 19-year-old debutant Josh Sims impressing and setting up Charlie Austin for the decisive goal as the south coast outfit moved back into the top half of the league table.
The Frenchman has rotated his squad on numerous occasions between the Premier League, Europa League and EFL Cup this season and he could make more changes when his team travel to north London to face Arsene Wenger’s troops, in what is a big game for the club and their supporters.
Here are THREE reasons why winning the League Cup should be a priority for Southampton this season…
Winning a trophy
While finishing sixth and qualifying for the Europa League as an end result may have been like winning a trophy for Southampton last season, there is nothing quite like actually lifting some silverware.
The Saints haven’t done that in a major competition since 1976 – 40 years ago – and with one of Manchester United and West Ham also heading out at this stage, if they can overcome Arsenal then they would certainly fancy their chances of going all the way.
Qualification for Europe
As we mentioned previously, the Saints qualified for the Europa League by finishing sixth in the Premier League last season.
However, with Chelsea and Liverpool – who both finished below the south coast outfit last term – already taking their places in the top four, it seems like something that is unlikely to be repeated this term.
Aside from winning the Europa League, the club’s best chance of reaching Europe again next season would be to win the League Cup or FA Cup, which would guarantee them a place in the competition next term and another chance for the club and its supporters to come up against the likes of Inter Milan.
Stars could stay
Players love to win trophies and if the Saints were to lift the League Cup this season, it could be a statement to persuade stars like Virgil van Dijk, who has been heavily linked with a move away from the club, that Southampton is a team worth staying with.
While it is inevitable that the Dutchman will move on to pastures new at some point – as is the model the club prides itself on – it could mean that players stick around a little longer than they have before, knowing they are part of a side that can compete for silverware.