As Southampton prepare for their Emirates FA Cup quarter-final tie at Bournemouth, Ralph Hasenhüttl has had no trouble sensing the excitement among his players at the opportunity which lies in front of them.
Saints and Cherries will meet at Vitality Stadium tomorrow, with the winners advancing to the final four of the competition and earning a spot in at least one match at Wembley.
ralph hasenhüttl
it's a big game for us as a club, for us as a team and also for our fans.
southampton manager
Even in the midst of an extremely busy league schedule, Hasenhüttl has consistently fielded strong sides in the FA Cup in order to keep alive hopes of winning a major trophy, and, having put in so much work to this point, he wants to make sure they don't let a chance to book a semi-final place pass them by.
"It's a big opportunity," he said. "A big game for us as a club, for us as a team and also for our fans.
"We prepare for maybe the most important one in the past weeks. It's a big game for us and we're looking forward to it.
"For us it is clear that we are facing a tough game against a side that also wants to come into the next round, in the final four, and for us it's a chance to turn things around and a chance to still have a target to win something big in this season.
"The Premier League for us at the moment is pushed away, we don't look at this, we look on the FA Cup.
"We took a lot of risks if you want to always select the best side to come in the next round and the reason is because we want to win something, and I think this is what you could feel this week. Guys are excited about going into this game and showing up and taking this opportunity."
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