Southampton fans will be travelling in great numbers to cheer on their beloved side at Preston North End on Saturday, as the regular Championship campaign concludes.
This is the end of the road for Preston, when it comes to their lacklustre season, but Saints could well have another three games to go before they're done and dusted, with the Championship playoffs secured.
Still, even with the playoffs firmly on their mind, Tonda Eckert will want his team to go out on a bang at Deepdale, which is a stadium Southampton haven't always had the best results at.
Southampton's struggles on the road at Preston
Amazingly, the South Coast titans haven't actually won on their travels to Lancashire since 2008, when the Saints pulled off a remarkable comeback in a jaw-dropping 3-2 win, when initially being two goals down.
David McGoldrick was the hero on that day in the final moments of the breathless encounter, and while there isn't much riding on this match, Eckert will hope his players are focused on the task at hand, to try and lift their Deepdale hex.
Losing 3-1 and 5-1 at the hands of the Lilywhites on their travels in the past, too, the Saints will also be wanting to pick up one last away day win, to ensure their unbeaten run in the league is still intact, ahead of the playoffs beginning.
Moreover, having lost 2-0 to Paul Heckingbottom's men earlier in the season, when the disastrous Will Still was at the helm, this would be a fantastic confidence booster, ahead of the draining playoff matches to follow.
There is also a playoff position at stake, with Eckert and Co. in with an outside chance of finishing in third on the final day, which would hand them a favourable run to Wembley.
Southampton still have plenty to play for
Southampton stood an outside chance of gatecrashing the automatic promotion picture when Kieran McKenna's Ipswich Town travelled to St Mary's on Tuesday night.
Unfortunately, having failed to overcome the Tractor Boys in a 2-2 draw, that dream is now dead, but they can still finish as high as third, if results go their way, when they play Preston.
Southampton are guaranteed fifth spot at the very least, but they could be propelled up the division slightly, into fourth, if they managed to get the better of Heckingbottom's hosts, and one of Middlesbrough or Millwall fail to win their respective clashes.
This would hand them a home tie in the first leg against fifth in the division, with a spot in third the ideal ticket wanted by all the teams fighting it out for playoff glory.
Indeed, if both Middlesbrough and Millwall slip up, and Southampton stick to their end of the bargain, they will be rewarded with third position, meaning they will play sixth - currently held by Wrexham - with a more favourable home tie in the second leg.
When Southampton went up via this dramatic route in 2024, Russell Martin secured fourth position, so it will be intriguing to see what twists and turns will occur on the final day of the 46-game marathon, as Eckert and Co. learn their own fate.
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