Southampton will host Bristol City at St Mary's on Tuesday at 7.45pm BST with Tonda Eckert chasing a ninth consecutive victory and asking for the stadium to be at its loudest. The visitors arrive for what could be a pivotal night in the Sky Bet Championship automatic promotion race.
Eckert said he was very much hoping St Mary's would be as full as possible and promised Southampton would do everything on the pitch to transmit that energy. He said the club was hoping for big, big support from the stands as Southampton look to keep their run going with three Championship games left.
The stakes are sharpened by the table around them. Third-placed Millwall are away to Stoke, while second-placed Ipswich are not in action until Wednesday, leaving Southampton and Bristol City with a chance to shape the picture before those rivals play again.
Bristol City are now under Roy Hodgson, 78, who suffered his first defeat as manager in his fourth game in charge on Saturday when Norwich won 4-2 at Ashton Gate. Before that, Bristol City had conceded only one goal in Hodgson's first three games, a reminder that Southampton are meeting a side that can still make life awkward even after a setback.
Eckert said he knew Bristol City well through his friendship with Gerhard Struber and called it a very, very tough game. That sounds about right. Southampton's recent home atmosphere has already been lifted by a raucous night against Arsenal that sent them to Wembley in the Emirates FA Cup semi-finals, and another packed St Mary's would give them the kind of edge that matters most in April.
With three league games remaining and promotion rivals in motion around them, this is the sort of night that can turn a strong run into something decisive. Southampton do not need spectacle for its own sake. They need a crowd that believes the next ninety minutes can still change the season.