Town boss Kieran McKenna has dismissed suggestions that Saturday’s trip to St Mary’s to face fellow Premier League new boys Southampton is a six-pointer (KO 3pm).
The Blues have taken two points from their first four games and are 17th in the table, while the Saints are second-bottom without a point so far, ahead of Everton on goal difference alone.
Despite the sides being in the lower reaches of the fledgling table, McKenna brushed away the idea of the game being a six-pointer.
"I don’t really see this as a six-pointer and, to be honest, it’s not really a phrase that we have used over the last couple of seasons,” McKenna said when the suggestion was put to him.
"There are 38 league games in the Premier League and 46 in the Championship and League One and you try and be as competitive as you can in each one and see where you are at the end of the season.
"Every game in the Premier League is important to us, every game is vital, every game is a challenge and a great opportunity. This weekend is no different and we are looking forward to it.”
The Saints squad underwent something over an overhaul over the summer. Among the permanent additions were former Blues midfielder Flynn Downes, £18 million, centre-half Taylor Harwood-Bellis, £20 million - like Downes a player Town were eyeing - and one-time Blues loan winger Ryan Fraser, free, who were on loan from West Ham, Manchester City and Newcastle respectively last season.
Adam Lallana, who was in the Southampton U18s side which lost the 2005 FA Youth Cup final to Town, returned on a free from Brighton.
Keeper Aaron Ramsdale came in from Arsenal for £25 million, while striker Cameron Archer was signed from Aston Villa and midfielder Mateus Fernandes was recruited from Sporting Lisbon, both for £15 million. Striker Ben Brereton-Diaz came in for £6 million from Villarreal in Spain.
Right-back Yukinari Sugwara, £6 million, was signed from AZ Alkmaar in Holland and centre-halves Nathan Wood from Swansea and Ronnie Edwards from Peterborough, for £3 million each.
Left-back Charlie Taylor signed from Burnley respectively on a free transfer, while Chelsea midfielder Lesley Ugchukwu and West Ham winger Maxel Cornet joined on loan.
But despite those changes of personnel, McKenna says the Saints still take much the same approach as they did last season.
"There are more similarities than differences in terms of how they have gone about it,” he said.
"They have got lots of new players in the squad, lots of new players in the starting XI, maybe seven of them last week who didn’t play for them in the Championship, so lots of new players.
"But I think the same philosophy and principles are still there, they have been pretty fluid with their systems across the first couple of games this season.
"You know with [manager] Russell [Martin] and Southampton, the core elements that they are going to be really strong at and what you need to stand up to. I think that’s going to be the same as it was when we played them last year.”
McKenna was asked whether he expects the Saints to adapt their approach against the Blues this weekend.
"I don’t spend too much time thinking about the expectations of other teams,” he said. "Not surprised how they have started, where their expectations are, where they will end up at the end of the season is not a big concern of mine.
"It is just about doing what we can against them this weekend. The games I’ve seen of them in preparation for this weekend, I think they cause every team problems.
"They caused Man United a lot of problems for about half an hour last week, they caused Newcastle a lot of problems in the first game of the season away. Even the Brentford game, which Brentford ended up somehow winning, they caused a lot of problems.
"They are going to cause teams problems with the ball all season and we are going to have to stand up to a lot of challenges – we know that.
"I’m not surprised in terms of the style they went with as I know Russell is pretty vocal about what he believes in and that’s what he is going to stick to.
"We expect a tough game. We know they haven’t won a game yet but we know they have given every opponent they have been up against some problems to solve. We know we are going to have to do the same on Saturday.”
Last season, the Blues did the double over the Saints having won 1-0 at St Mary’s a year ago today.
"It was a big victory,” McKenna recalled. "But it’s not something I’ve thought about much in the build-up to this game, but it was a big victory.
"It was pretty early in the season still, it might have been one of our first midweek away games, our first game against one of the newly relegated sides and we were missing a few players.
"I think Leif [Davis] was missing, I think Massimo [Luongo] had a small issue, so we had some changes. I think Nathan Broadhead was missing as well, possibly.
"So we had some changes in the side and, as we did quite often in the first half of last season, we went away from home and got a clean sheet and won a tight game. That’s a great foundation for your season.
"It was a good night. But this is a new night. We’re going to need some of the same qualities. It’s a brand new season, new squads, new game and we’re going to have to go at it with fresh eyes.”
The home game, which the Blues’ won 3-2 via Jeremy Sarmiento’s now infamous goal deep, deep into injury time, is one of the highlights of McKenna’s managerial career so far.
"Wonderful moments, an excellent game, an entertaining game, a really tough game but a fantastic ending for us and moments that will live long in the memory for everyone,” he said.
"That game will never change. I think it’s in the folklore and the history of the club now, but this is a new one.
"There’s not too much that we’ll reference back to that one. We go to this one with fresh players, with fresh energy and with a different challenge ahead of us and we’ll look to go and make the very best of it.”
McKenna confirmed that former Blues midfielder Flynn Downes was on his radar in the summer with Town understood to have made an offer for the Playford Road academy product before he moved to the Saints from West Ham.
"Flynn’s very good, a very good midfielder,” McKenna said. "Whenever you’re two of the newly promoted teams, they signed 16 players or something, we signed 12, there’s probably a fair chance you’re going to be talking to some of the same players at different stages over the window and there were quite a few cases of that.
"Southampton’s a very good squad and have signed some good players on top of the good players they had, so we know we’ll have to prepare for them all on Saturday.”
The Blues have picked up more Premier League points against the Saints, 17 from 10 games, than any other opposition.
McKenna won't move too far away from the team which drew 0-0 at Brighton last week with man of the match Aro Muric in goal and Axel Tuanzebe and Davis the full-backs and Dara O’Shea and Jacob Greaves the centre-halves.
Skipper Sam Morsy and Kalvin Phillips look set to continue in the centre of midfield, while the wide roles are most likely to see changes with Chiedozie Ogbene and Jack Clarke perhaps coming into the XI for Wes Burns and Sammie Szmodics.
Omari Hutchinson will probably again be in the middle of the three behind central striker Liam Delap.
Nathan Broadhead could be on the bench for the first time this season having recovered from his hamstring injury, although McKenna has plenty of options when it comes to attackers for his bench.
The Saints, promoted via the play-offs last season, opened the campaign with a 1-0 defeat at Newcastle United, then lost by the same scoreline at home to Nottingham Forest.
Brentford ran out 3-1 winners in West London as the Saints scored their only league goal so far, before a 3-0 loss at home to Manchester United last week, Cameron Archer having missed a penalty at 0-0.
The Hampshire side’s only successes this season have come in the Carabao Cup. They won a second-round tie against Cardiff City 5-2 away, then on Tuesday they beat Everton 6-5 on penalties at St Mary’s after a 1-1 draw.
Southampton are fully fit aside from keeper Gavin Bazunu, who suffered an achilles injury in April and forward Kamaldeen Sulemana, who suffered a knock in pre-season but is understood to be close to a return.
Republic of Ireland midfielder Will Smallbone is not yet back from a hamstring injury.
Defender Jack Stephens is suspended having been shown a straight red card against Manchester United.
Manager Russell Martin is intrigued to see how the teams get on against one another in the Premier League.
"I think it's a big game,” he said. "I think every game in the Premier League is huge. They're going to be a tough opposition.
"As we found out last year, they've really improved in terms of what they've recruited and they have a really excellent manager and they're really good at what they do.
"It's going to be really interesting to come up against them again this season in the Premier League and see what changes. I feel like we are on our own journey, they're on theirs. And I think it's a really exciting match.”
He added: "I think you can only ever make the best-educated guess from analysing the last few games, analysing last season's matches, what went well for them against us, what went well for us against them.
"And understand that their coaching team are meticulous in their approach and the way they can adapt to certain opposition. But also maintaining what they want to be. So I think it will be really interesting.
"Us against them is very different to Brighton against them after Brighton started the season as well, and the players they have and all that stuff. So you take as much as you can from the previous game, the previous few games.
"And then, like I said, you make the best educated guess you possibly can to see what they're going to come with. We'll try and do that.”
Martin admits the last-gasp defeat in April was tough to take, particularly for a one-time Norwich City skipper.
"It really hurt,” he continued. "And I think you use anything,” he said. "Part of our job is to be storytellers with the players. They are the main characters in the story. So last season, we used that as fuel a lot because it really hurt the manner of the defeat.
"It was a real blow to us at the time after one of our best performances of the season. Actually, at times it was an incredible performance. Then we ended up on the losing team, which really, really hurt.
"And we used that. We have a lot of different players now. And I think this season is a different story. But maybe a few players, we can tap into that and make them understand, feel that again.
"If we can use that, then of course we will. But I think with the players we have, and as I said, a lot of new players, a lot of young players, not necessarily that important. I think they understand what's at stake.
"They understand the tough start to the season we're having. And they're desperate to put it right. So we'll see if we need it. We'll see if we need to put it out at any point.
Historically, the Blues have the edge having won 27 games against Southampton (26 in the league), losing 23 (17) and with 20 (19) ending in draws.
Town, who had previously gone eight games without a win against the Saints going back to November 2007, did the double over the Hampshire side last season.
At St Mary’s a year ago today, Hutchinson’s first goal for the Blues on his full league debut saw Town to the three points and back up to second in the Championship.
The then Chelsea loanee struck on the half hour as the Blues maintained their brilliant start to the season.
Then in April, sub Sarmiento scored his 97th-minute winner as Town came from behind to beat 10-man Southampton 3-2 in a Portman Road classic which will live long in the memory to return to the top of the Championship.
Davis gave the Blues the lead on 13 but Southampton hit back through Che Adams only a minute later and Adam Armstrong gave the visitors the lead in the 23rd minute.
Town had been second best but took charge after a triple substitution with one of those changes, Broadhead, levelling on 68, before ex-Town loanee James Bree was dismissed for hauling down Davis on 85 and Sarmiento sent Portman Road into raptures seconds from the end.
Southampton’s squad includes a number of ex-Town players, most notably Downes, who came through the academy and made 75 starts and 24 sub appearances, scoring three times before moving on to Swansea in the summer of 2021 for an initial £1.4 million with the Blues receiving another £1.5 million following the midfielder’s £8 million move to West Ham the following summer.
The midfielder was on loan with the Saints last season before making his move permanent this summer for £18 million.
Keeper Alex McCarthy spent time on loan at Town in the second half of 2011/12, making 10 appearances and impressing after a difficult start having been red-carded in his third game, a 3-1 defeat at former loan club Leeds.
Winger Fraser was with the Blues during the 2015/16 season, scoring six times in 15 starts and five sub appearances before injury curtailed his spell.
Full-back Bree was on loan at Town in the second half of the 2018/19 season making 13 starts and one sub appearance.
Saints full-back Ryan Manning came close to joining the Blues as an academy scholar but ultimately opted to sign for QPR.
Southampton's assistant manager is Matt Gill, who was first-team coach under Paul Lambert and stayed on for the first few months of Paul Cook's tenure before departing in the summer of 2021 after just under three years at the club.
Saturday’s referee is Sam Allison from Wiltshire, who has shown 25 yellow cards and no red in five games so far this season.
Allison’s assistants are Scott Ledger and Matthew Wilkes, while the fourth official is Anthony Taylor, who was pulled from taking charge of a game this weekend following social media abuse in the wake of the AFC Bournemouth-Chelsea game in which he booked a league record 14 players.
The VAR official is Australian Jarred Gillett with James Mainwaring his assistant.
Allison’s last Town match was the 4-1 loss at Manchester City last month, which he took control of just before kick-off after the scheduled official Michael Salisbury suffered an injury in the warm-up.
After Town had gone in front, City were awarded a penalty after Davis had tripped Savinho, a decision reached after a VAR intervention.
Davis was denied a later spot-kick when he was felled by a combination of Savinho and Rico Lewis.
VAR failed to intervene in that instance but the Premier League's Independent Key Match Incidents (KMI) Panel subsequently ruled that a penalty should have been awarded, but that the incident didn't meet the threshold for a clear and obvious error required for VAR to intercede. Morsy, Sammie Szmodics and two home players were yellow-carded.
Last season, Allison took charge of the 1-1 home draw with Middlesbrough in April in which he cautioned Luongo and Lewis Travis.
In January, he was the man with the whistle for the 2-1 home victory over Sunderland at Portman Road in which he booked Burns, Harry Clarke, George Edmundson, Jack Taylor and two Black Cats.
Before that he was in charge of the 2-2 draw at Portsmouth in December 2022 in which he yellow-carded only Cameron Burgess and Pompey’s Marlon Pack.
His only previous Town match was the 2-1 home victory over Fleetwood at Portman Road in October 2021 in which he booked Morsy, Bersant Celina and three of the visitors.
Muric, Walton, Slicker, Johnson, Townsend, Davis, Tuanzebe, O’Shea, Woolfenden, Burgess, Greaves, Phillips, Cajuste, Morsy (c), Luongo, Taylor, Hutchinson, Chaplin, Szmodics, J Clarke, Broadhead, Burns, Ogbene, Al-Hamadi, Delap, Hirst.