Southampton have made their high-aiming intentions clear by announcing a second preseason test against one of Europe's most improved teams.
Though summers are only meant for the transfers season, there is a little bit of preseason football as well to look upto. No doubt, they are mere friendlies at the end of the day but those select games speak volumes about how the team will lineup and most importantly, what to expect from them when they eventually take on the pitch.
And it's bizarre but Southampton have made more preparations in place for those fixtures instead of carrying out their usual transfer tasks. A few weeks ago, they convinced Brighton to go neck-to-neck over the summer and now they have repeated the opponent-selecting pattern again.
Taking to their official website, the Saints lifted the lid on their Espanyol outing which is sure to raise some doubts among the St. Mary's faithful.
Still knows Saints will be outside favourites both times
That's because Southampton's Championship turn awaits them in August and not the Premier League one. As a result, stacking up match practice against top-flight squads who were also competing for a European football berth until April is an overly bold move.
Certainly, it can help find their initial flaws early on to give a handy headstart to Will Still but there is always the risk of lowering the roster's morale upon receiving massive score-line humiliations.
Truth be told, the best outcome fans would hope for is Southampton gaining composure in the defence and the final third from these matchups. Because, let's face it, watching the Saints going quiet near the opposition box and fluffing some big chances isn't a pleasant sight.
Plus, if Still implements some routine attacking sequences and passing drills, that will then set the tone for a fluid goalscoring approach in the second division. Ultimately, whether these objectives will be fulfilled on these occasions remains to be seen.