Southampton

Dan George & Adam Blackmore
BBC Sport, Hampshire

Image source, Getty Images

Southampton head coach Tonda Eckert said that his side had to "stay calm" during periods of the FA Cup semi-final when opponents Manchester City have the ball.

The Saints step away from their promotion-chasing campaign in the Championship on Saturday as they attempt to make it to the FA Cup final 50 years after they won the competition in 1976.

Eckert's side are unbeaten in their past 20 matches and have beaten two Premier League sides in Fulham and Arsenal on the way to the last four.

Although confidence within the group will be sky-high going into the tie, Eckert admitted that the task at Wembley will be as tough as they come.

"We will have some periods where we will have to suffer," he told BBC Radio Solent.

"You have to accept that there will be some moments where we will not touch the ball and we have to stay calm in those moments.

"If you see where City score most of their goals, they come from within the width of the six- and 18-yard box. There might be some moments where we have to defend inside the box and be very clear on how to do that.

"On the other hand it comes down to chances. We will definitely have some transition moments, and we need to be crucial on the ones they give to us as they won't be too many [in number].

"You can't rely on just defending in these games, you have to find another gear, give energy where we do have the ball and have spells in possession. We did this well against Arsenal and that will be key on Saturday."

You can follow all the build-up and action on Saturday, live on the BBC Sport website and app or watch the game on BBC One.

BBC Radio Solent have full commentary of the tie and will be on air from 10:00 BST until 20:00 BST.

There is not long to go now until Southampton fans travel in their numbers to Wembley Stadium for the chance to witness what could be a historic occasion.

Saints face Manchester City in the FA Cup semi-final with kick-off set for 17:15 BST on Saturday.

BBC South Today's Lewis Coombes previews the big game with interviews from Finn Azaz, Saints legend Mark Dennis and more.

You can follow all the build-up and action on Saturday, live on the BBC Sport website and app.

As excitement builds for Wembley, watch a special episode of Saints Social with Dell legend Mark Dennis and streamer and Saints fan Tyrone joining Jono Holmes and Lewis Coombes to discuss Southampton's chances against Manchester City in this weekend's FA Cup semi-final.

Saints Social is also on BBC Sounds as usual, along with lots more news and views from St Mary's.

Image source, Getty Images

Southampton head coach Tonda Eckert said that his side "didn't have the best of starts" in their 2-2 draw with Bristol City.

Saints came from behind twice and pushed for a winner in the final moments of the game but were forced to settle for a point.

The draw leaves them in fourth position and three points off the top two places with two league games remaining.

"There's so many games in April and the expectations have been going up game after game and that's a credit to the players," Eckert said after the game.

"There's no easy game in the Championship and credit to Bristol [City] for such a good game, they made it difficult for us today.

"We had chances to win it and we have taken those in previous games but we couldn't tonight so we take the point and move on.

"The goals that we have conceded have always been very different and today we didn't have the best of starts, sometimes you just need to accept that it is what it is.

"We still managed to find a way back into the game and that speaks of the players and the group."

Saints are next in action on Saturday when they head to Wembley for their FA Cup semi-final game against Manchester City.

Image source, Opta

Southampton will hope to continue their late push for automatic promotion when they welcome Bristol City on Tuesday night (kick-off 19:45 BST).

The Saints are in excellent form with seven wins on the bounce in the Championship and are unbeaten in their past 16 games (W13 D3).

Tonda Eckert's side were 15th - 10 points adrift of the play-offs and 16 points behind second - following their last league defeat, which came against Hull City on 17 January.

They are now fourth - eight points clear of Wrexham in seventh and just one point behind second-placed Ipswich, who have a game in hand - having picked up five more points than any other team in that time.

Southampton face a Bristol City side who suffered their first defeat since Roy Hodgson took over last time out, losing 4-2 to Norwich following two wins and a draw under the former England manager.

The Robins now cannot make the play-offs or be relegated this season.

• Southampton have lost six of their past seven league games against Bristol City, though the exception was a 1-0 victory the last time they hosted the Robins in November 2023.

• Each of Bristol City's previous three away league games against Southampton has finished 1-0, with the Robins winning in November 2008 and December 2011, before losing in November 2023.

• Southampton are unbeaten in their previous eight home league games (W7 D1), winning each of the previous five; they last won six in a row in February 2024 (run of nine).

• Only Millwall (22) have conceded fewer away goals in the Championship this season than Bristol City (24), who could keep successive clean sheets on the road for the first time since October (run of three).

• Bristol City's Roy Hodgson has won on each of his past two league visits to Southampton with Watford in March 2022 (2-1) and Crystal Palace in April 2023 (2-0), having won on just one of his first five trips beforehand (D2 L2).

Southampton boss Tonda Eckert spoke to BBC Radio Solent following his side's 2-1 win away to Swansea City.

"It was a lovely afternoon trip to Wales - in the first-half we were clearly on top but didn't manage to defend on one throw-in.

"It speaks for the character of the group that we just kept pushing and pushing and pushing and over 90 minutes there was only one deserved winner.

"I was very calm at half-time - you just know if you keep pushing you are going to win and you need to transmit that belief, the boys have that as well and over the 90 minutes it was a very good performance."

Saints remain fourth in the table, but only one point behind Millwall in second.

They are at home to Bristol City on Tuesday evening.

Image source, Opta

Southampton will hope to continue their surge towards an automatic promotion spot in the Championship when they visit Swansea City on Saturday afternoon (kick-off 15:00 BST).

Saints have won seven on the bounce in the league and are within just three points of second-placed Ipswich, who have a game in hand.

The Swans, who are 14th on 57 points, officially cannot go down, while a play-off spot is all-but impossible with the gap to Hull in sixth now 11 points with four games to play.

Vitor Matos' side have won just one of their past five games (D2 L2), though that did come last time out with a 1-0 victory at Leicester City.

• Swansea have won just two of their previous 16 league games against Southampton (D5 L9), while they have failed to score in 10 of their past 14 against Saints.

• Swansea are winless in their past two home league matches (D1 L1), conceding five goals across those two games; more than in their previous 10 league matches at the Swansea.com Stadium combined (4).

• Southampton have won five of their past six away league games against Swansea, with the exception being a 2-1 defeat in January 2017.

• Southampton are unbeaten in their past seven away league games, winning five of them (D2). In Tonda Eckert's first seven away league matches in charge, the Saints won just twice and lost four of them (D1).

• Swansea's Zan Vipotnik has scored in each of his past three Championship games (four goals), and could score in four in a row for the first time in the competition.

Image source, Getty Images

On Tuesday, we asked for your thoughts on Southampton's automatic promotion hopes and if you would be happy with a play-off spot after a slow start to the season.

The Saints are unbeaten in their past 15 Championship games and have won seven on the bounce to climb from 15th in mid-January to fourth, just three points behind second-placed Ipswich, who have a game in hand.

However, Tonda Eckert's side face the Tractor Boys in the penultimate game of the season on 28 April, three days after their FA Cup semi-final against Manchester City at Wembley.

Here are some of your responses:

JP: After such a poor start, finishing anywhere in the top six is a colossal achievement. And to be two victories away from claiming the FA Cup? Total dreamland! Tonda and the team have brought smiles to fans' faces and put hope in our hearts. I'm proud to be a Saint!

Michael: I don't think we should sacrifice the FA Cup for the dubious privilege of a return to the Premier League, but I don't believe we will. We have enough strength in depth and confidence to give it a right go against City. And we only conceded one goal against them in two league fixtures last season! The Wembley experience will be a great rehearsal for any play-off final that may result if we don't catch Ipswich (and get through the play-off semi).

Pete: Saints have done brilliantly but personally I would rather see them win the FA Cup than win promotion. I think the vast majority of fans would agree that unless you support a "top six" team, the rest of the teams are just vying for survival. I think the Championship is much more interesting than the Premier League.

Nigel: A play-off position would be a great outcome given where we were earlier in the season. Second place is probably unlikely, though I am sure they will give it a good shot.

Charlie: Considering the situation when Still was sacked and after losing to Hull in January, play-offs are a brilliant result. Promotion has to be the goal now, however, whether automatically or not.

Clive: It's been quite a journey over the last three months or so. Absolutely unbelievable to be where we are now after the horror of last season and the start of this. To get to Wembley (more than once) this season would be the icing on the cake, it really would, but we have achieved so much already.

Sean: Sadly I fear the semi-final, in which we have very little chance of success, will be a big distraction and add to those tired legs just ahead of the vital game against Ipswich.

Roy: Who would have ever thought we would be considering promotion back in early January when we lost to Boro and Hull? We've not lost a game since, we are winning games and scoring goals. Goal difference could yet be important. I would be surprised if Ipswich don't get enough points for second but we will be there or thereabouts and will get a play-off semi at least with a home second-leg.

Ryan: Considering our form until January, I'd have bitten your hand off for a play-off place come the end of the season. My hope with only four games left is to keep pushing for that automatic promotion place and we will see where we end up once the 46 games are done! The team is gelling and working well, and Eckert deserves all the praise for getting a tune out of the squad and making the right additions in January.

Brian: I have supported Southampton for too long to get carried away with hope that we can clinch second place. At the moment Tonda and his team have made it easier to join in the football banter at work. Ipswich in my opinion will gain automatic promotion with Coventry. Let's keep our feet on the ground and hope we have another Wembley date for the play-off final. Either way I like the way we are playing at the moment and long may it continue.

Glen de la Cour
Southampton FC fan writer

Image source, Shutterstock

Just before Saints played Arsenal in the FA Cup quarter-final, I was asked on our Total Saints Podcast if I thought that automatic promotion was still a possibility?

My response was that, in the real world, it wasn't but let's have a look again if we can win our next two league games against play-off contenders, Wrexham and Derby.

Fast forward a couple of weeks and those games have been won, as has a further game at home to Blackburn and then you start looking at the teams around you.

Middlesbrough, Hull and Millwall all seem to be faltering to different degrees, which leaves Ipswich, who, on the night we comfortably dispatched Blackburn, managed to lose to Portsmouth.

No Saints fan is ever happy when Portsmouth win, but we were pleased that Ipswich lost.

Suddenly, we are just three points behind the Tractor Boys and we still have to play them.

Until that point, Saints can only take care of Swansea away and Bristol City at home, and as a long-suffering fan, I am just waiting for the wheels to fall off, with the 'game every four days' run of fixtures we are on at the moment.

If we take care of our own business and are still in touch with Ipswich going into that huge game on 28 April at St Mary's, then who knows?

Right now, Ipswich are still the favourites to go up automatically because they have a three-point lead and a game in hand, but they will be looking over their shoulders now and that brings pressure, especially when one team chasing you down is on an 18-game unbeaten run and has won six league matches in a row.

The fact we have to play Ipswich straight after we have had an emotional and energy-sapping day chasing Manchester City around at Wembley, will also be in their favour.

The most likely outcome is that Saints, Middlesbrough, Millwall and Hull will be in the play-offs.

At St Mary's, Saints walk out to a punk anthem by The Skids from 1978 called "The Saints are Coming".

Any more slips and our rivals for that second automatic promotion spot will be hearing those words.

For more from Glen and the Total Saints Podcast, head here., external

It's been quite a few weeks at St Mary's.

Saints made it seven straight wins on Tuesday night with a home win over Blackburn, while their south coast rivals Portsmouth did them a big favour with victory over Ipswich, just three days after picking up another win at Middlesbrough.

It all means Southampton, now unbeaten in 18 games, have jumped into fourth and are just three points behind second-placed Ipswich in a tight four-way race for automatic promotion.

The Tractor Boys still have a game in hand, but also face Middlesbrough, now below Saints on goal difference, on Sunday (12:00 BST). They also have to head to St Mary's for what could be a pivotal clash in the penultimate round of matches on 28 April, just three days after Southampton's FA Cup semi-final date with Man City.

So how are you feeling, Saints fans? Have you hit top form at the perfect time? Will your trip to Wembley be a distraction? After such a slow start to the season, would a play-off place be a good outcome or have you got bigger ambitions now given your form?

Click here to have your say.

Southampton boss Tonda Eckert told his players to keep working after they beat Blackburn Rovers 3-0 to make it six consecutive Championship wins.

It was a great night for the fourth-placed Saints, who are in real contention for automatic promotion after their south-coast rivals Portsmouth beat second-placed Ipswich 2-0 at Fratton Park.

"We did them a favour as well. It's a strong south coast today," Eckert told BBC Radio Solent.

Relegated last season and 21st when Will Still was sacked as manager in November, Southampton now unbeaten in 18 matches and are in the semi-finals of the FA Cup.

"It sounds boring because I keep repeating myself, but we need to keep our heads down and keep working. It's the only way," said Eckert.

"This squad is in a moment and a place where you can put on whoever you want to put on and they're ready and well able to perform. That's a big plus for us at this part of the season.

"That's all it comes down to at this stage of the season. When you step on the grass you need to be ready to perform."