Southampton will get their Carabao Cup campaign up and running with a trip to Fulham in the second round.
The draw was made on Tuesday night, and despite the annual anticipation of Saints fans far and wide, with dreams of a derby clash against Portsmouth being revealed, it was not to be.
However, a testing away fixture awaits Ralph Hasenhuttl’s men, and Fulham will be no pushovers in the second round.
Scott Parker is hoping to lead his team back to the Premier League at the first time of asking this season, so his focus is highly unlikely to be on the Carabao Cup.
Nevertheless, a chance to claim a scalp over top-flight opposition is never one to be overlooked, and Southampton will be in for a close match at Craven Cottage.
Hasenhuttl, too, is likely to prioritise the league, but the Austrian does have a good opportunity in the cup competitions to hand some of his lesser-seen first-team players valuable game time.
So, just who needs to impress for Saints in the Carabao Cup this season? I’ve identified six in particular.
