Southampton have had their second-round opponents confirmed in the EFL Cup and it's a tricky next tie for Tonda Eckert's men.
On the week commencing the 24th of August, the South Coast giants will face off against West Ham United, with the Cup showdown an early test of the Saints' resolve, as the Hammers will be expected to walk the Championship.
Amazingly, they've managed to keep Jarrod Bowen on their books, despite his clear Premier League class, and have the likes of James Ward-Prowse to fall back on, who Southampton fans obviously know all about from his free kick-heavy days at St. Mary's.
It's a bumper squad, to say the least, but Southampton also have a stacked team of their own, with Eckert able to call upon the likes of Leo Scienza, Finn Azaz, and Lewis Dobbin up top, as a terrifying attacking trio.
All in all, it's set to be a captivating contest later this month, and based on Southampton's recent record in Cup competitions against the East Londoners, they will fancy their chances of reaching the third round of the EFL Cup, like they managed last year.
Southampton's standout Cup record
Staggeringly, despite only beating Nuno Espirito Santo's men once across their last ten league meetings, with all of these encounters falling in the Premier League, the Saints have won their last three Cup clashes against the Hammers.
The last time the two Championship titans butted heads in a Cup competition was in 2022, with Southampton - who were managed by Ralph Hasenhuttl at the time - comfortably getting the better of a David Moyes West Ham side 3-1 in the FA Cup.
The unusual goalscorer on the day was Romain Perraud, as the French defender broke the deadlock, before the above-mentioned Ward-Prowse, and the forgotten Armando Broja, made sure of the convincing win to secure the Saints' passage to the quarter final stages.
An even better omen for Southampton's chances in the here and now is they also beat West Ham 2-1 in 1995 in the League Cup, with the likes of Saints royalty Francis Benali and Matt Le Tissier in the lineup that day at the Dell.
The other Cup win fell in a competition that won't be as instantly recognisable to the more modern reader, as another 2-1 victory fell into the South Coast side's lap, on home soil, in 1992 in the interestingly named Zenith Data Systems Cup.
1992 would actually be the final year of this short-lived tournament, to add more context.
This remarkable streak of form stands Eckert's men in good stead to beat Espirito Santo's visitors later this month, but it wouldn't be deemed the end of the world if a Cup exit was on the cards.
The Championship remains the main priority
Indeed, the Championship is the overwhelming main priority for the Saints this season, as clinching promotion would be far sweeter than lifting the EFL Cup.
Of course, Southampton supporters far and wide wouldn't say no to beating West Ham in the much maligned competition, as it would be a welcome confidence boost after starting the Championship season with a four point penalty, but the mood at St. Mary's wouldn't dip significantly if they were to come unstuck.
On the contrary, failing to beat either Watford or Stoke City in the bread and butter of the second tier action, in the build-up to this mid-week affair, would sound the alarm bells somewhat.
It's still a tasty early-season encounter, nonetheless, with a neutral likely keen to tune into the tie, as two of the Championship's main heavyweights lock horns.
With Divin Mubama also set to play against his former side, with his loan signing just confirmed, it has all the makings of being a fascinating contest, even if the league is the prime concern.
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