Tuesday 10 January 2017 20:00, UK
Southampton manager Claude Puel believes with a bit of improvement his side will have what it takes to beat Liverpool in the EFL Cup on Wednesday.
Saints held the Reds to a goalless draw in the Premier League in November and will be aiming to build on that as they look to gain the advantage in the opening leg of the semi-final at St Mary's.
Jurgen Klopp's men have only failed to win eight games out of 25 - six draws and two defeats - in all competitions so far this season, but Puel believes the point they took off the Reds marked one of the club's best performances so far this season.
"We played Liverpool in the Premier League and it was a strong game for us with organisation," said the 55-year-old. "We played strong and were strong in defence.
"We played at a good level but it will be important for this game to have more of the ball and try and have control of the game.
"Their ability to control the ball along with good pressing, with technical players, is exciting. We want to exploit them.
"The players are ready for the game. It is an exciting challenge for us. The Premier League game was strong, there are many games in January, different possibilities."
After an intense run of Premier League fixtures in the festive period, which saw Southampton beaten 3-0 at Goodison Park, the Saints are left 10th in the table.
And Puel admits the EFL Cup has become important for the team in their efforts to win a trophy this season. However, he still insists has not started thinking about the final at Wembley yet.
"The semi-final is important," the manager added. "It is an excellent challenge and we want to try and make the best of the opportunities.
"The competition is important. This competition is an opportunity for us to win something. We have more chance of winning this than the Premier League.
"We need some good work and we want to keep our good possibilities. The second [leg] away is difficult, it is always difficult.
"It is not possible now to think about the final. We want to go out there and compete our best.
"I think that it is good because all the squad can be involved in the competition and we want to get a strong result for our fans and us."
