Southampton assistant manager Andy Crosby has insisted that his side will take the Capital One Cup very seriously.
Saints host Championship outfit Sheffield Wednesday at St Mary's in the last 32 of the competition coming off the back of a 4-1 win over Aston Villa in the Premier League.
While some top-flight clubs rank the Capital One Cup low down in their priorities, Crosby has no doubts that the South Coast side will use the tournament to their benefits.
"It's a competition that we're taking very seriously and we're down to the last 32," said Crosby. "Over the last few years, we have blooded a lot of young players in this competition because the vision of the club is to get a lot of home-grown players through into the first team so we'll continue to do that.
"There's competition for places now so there's a chance for other players to come into the team and stake a claim. We made changes at Stevenage [in the second round] and, if you look back over last season, we made changes in this competition then as well.
"We are taking it seriously because it is a pathway to a major competition and a major trophy. We're up against a very good Sheffield Wednesday team. Dave Jones has done an incredible job and at the back end of last season he had a great impact. I think they'll come here trying to cause an upset."
Southampton travel to Everton in the Premier League on Saturday.
Matt Cotton
