Southampton Under-21 boss, Martin Hunter has said his players are ‘chomping at the bit’ ahead of the first leg of their Under-21 Premier League Cup Final.
The Saints face Blackburn at Ewood Park tomorrow night and Hunter admitted his players are excited but know it will not be an easy game.
Speaking to Southampton FC’s Official Youtube Channel he said: “Everybody’s chomping at the bit really, training’s gone well – everybody’s delighted and looking forward to the two-legged final.
“We’re expecting a very tough contest – they’re a very well-organised team. I noticed that four of their players that have been involved were on the bench (on Wednesday night against Liverpool) in the FA Cup – three of them play regularly – and we know how resilient and hard-working they are, so we need to be ready for that.
Saints’ Lancashire counterparts are not faring well in the Under-21 Premier League Second Division, winning only three games all season. However, they’re cup form has been a welcome distraction as Rovers overcame Newcastle, Aston Villa and Reading (AET) after receiving a bye into the early Round of 16.
Hunter’s side play the second leg at home exactly a week after the tie at Ewood Park and the Technical Director believes that the second leg being played at St. Mary’s will be a positive factor.
“Yes, it’s always good to play the second leg at home, but playing at Ewood Park will not be easy, and the players understand that.” said Hunter.
“They’ve won three ties to get to the final, so they’re there on merit. The league form, we don’t look at that, we look at the sorts of players they’ve got, the system of play that they’ve got, and ready to combat what they throw at us and play our style of football.”
The Under-21s started their cup run way back in November beating Ipswich 1-0 at Portman Road; they continued to overcome Norwich and Watford at St. Mary’s before sealing their place in the Final in a thrilling encounter with Derby – Ryan Seager scored a first half hat-trick to send the Saints through.
