Saints manager Ronald Koeman believes the club have a good chance of reaching the Capital One Cup semi-finals – but he expects a difficult night at Sheffield United if they are to get there.

Koeman’s side advanced to the last eight with a dramatic 3-2 win at Stoke yesterday, and will now travel to the Blades, a League One outfit, in the week beginning December 15.

The Saints boss said: “Another away game, the fourth one, but I understand that is cup football.

“It isn’t the worst away game that we had to play, ok, but it’s cup football – it’s difficult.

“We look forward, because it’s a good chance to reach the semi-final.”

Asked if the competition now represents a great chance for the club to win some silverware, Koeman said: “We are close to that, because we are now in the quarter-final, and we took it very seriously from the beginning.

“Ok, we have good results in the cup and that’s always good for the confidence of the players and the team, and we like to continue.”