Southampton: Saints to play Man City twice in five days after Carabao Cup Fourth-Round draw

Southampton’s reward for their convincing win over South Coast rivals Portsmouth in the Carabao Cup is a trip to the competition’s current champions Manchester City.

The draw for the Fourth-Round was made following the conclusion of the Third-Round ties yesterday evening and Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side will made the midweek trip to the Etihad Stadium during week commencing the 28th October.

Confirmation of this tie has also brought about two meetings between the Saints and City within five days.

A Premier League fixture at the Etihad is also set for the weekend of the 2nd November following the cup clash.

These games only add to what can be seen as a very tough run of upcoming fixtures for Saints.

After facing Spurs this coming Saturday, Ralph Hasenhuttl prepared his side to face Chelsea, Wolves, Leicester City, Manchester City in league and cup, Everton and Arsenal all before the season reaches December.

More from Saints Marching

• Grading the Southampton Transfer Window Part 2: Arrivals
• Grading the Southampton Transfer Window Part 1: Departures
• It’s time to talk about Gavin Bazunu
• Rain clouds on the horizon? Southampton beat Plymouth Argyle
• A lament for Southampton legend James Ward-Prowse

Although just six league games have been played so far, Saints sit just three points above the relegation zone and will need to pick up some positive results in this run to avoid another scrap at the bottom of the top-flight table.

Things have looked much more positive under Hasenhuttl and the overall vibe around the club is much brighter since he was appointed back in December.

However, below par performances against the likes of Burnley and Bournemouth in the opening six league games have seen significant points dropped already.

As we saw in the second half of 2018/19 though, Saints are more than capable of upping their performances when needed.

Tuesday night’s win over Portsmouth will have given a boost to all sections of the club too.

A brace from Danny Ings and further strikes from Cedric Soares and Nathan Redmond gave Saints the latest victory in a South Coast derby and their fans bragging rights in Hampshire.