News summary
Southampton have put away tickets on sale for the trip to Lincoln City on the 5th September. The 12.30pm kick-off will be shown live on television.
It will be the first league meeting between the sides since 1961. Saints have a full allocation of 1,232 tickets for the game.
Before that, Eckert takes his squad to Colchester United in the EFL Cup on Saturday. The Championship opener at Watford follows the weekend after. That away end is already sold out.
Eckert's touchline status for those games is still unresolved. The FA have yet to set a punishment for the Spygate breaches the club accepted earlier in the summer.
Pre-season is done, and Lewis Dobbin has been the standout. The £9m signing scored three times and looks ready to cover for Finn Azaz, who is recovering at Staplewood.
Dobbin was one of several to catch the eye across the friendlies. The mood around the squad is reportedly positive and upbeat before the season starts.
Transfer news
The window's biggest story is Shea Charles, and Fulham are in advanced talks to take the midfielder to the Premier League. The Cottagers have raised their offer to around £25m, still below the £30m Southampton want.
Personal terms are close to being agreed. A sale would bring in a useful chunk of money with under a month of the window left.
Jay Robinson is off to Monza on a season-long loan after the Italian club agreed a club-to-club deal. There is no buy option in it, so the 19-year-old winger comes back next summer.
Monza are managed by former Saints boss Ivan Juric and have just come up from Serie B. A queue on the left side of the attack behind Léo Scienza, Dobbin and Samuel Edozie has pushed Robinson down the order.
Southampton are also weighing a move for Alou Meminta, a 17-year-old Mali winger they are tracking alongside Nottingham Forest. The teenager carries the nickname "Neymar" from his FC Diarra teammates, and any move would be one for the years ahead rather than this season.
A more fanciful link has surfaced through some social media chatter. It places Southampton in the frame for Swansea striker Žan Vipotnik, the reigning Championship golden boot, at a rumoured £20m.
Saints Marching opinion
Shea Charles brought three goals, two assists and a 7.16 average rating across the Championship last season. His exit would leave a big hole in Eckert's midfield.
Fulham's climb to around £25m makes a sale look likely, even short of the £30m asking price. Saints Marching has framed the departure as a big what-if. Charles is only 22 and still improving, so the club will want strong value before it lets him go.
The sensible move is to reinvest quickly. Justin Devenny, a Crystal Palace midfielder, has already been floated as a potential Charles replacement. The cash from any sale gives Eckert room to strengthen before the deadline.
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