Saints will tonight take part in one of the biggest pre-season games in the club’s history with up to 50,000 fans expected to pack Feyenoord’s ground to welcome back their former heroes.

Ronald Koeman played for and managed the Dutch giants, while Graziano Pelle and Jordy Clasie, both signed by Saints from Feyenoord, were legends there.

Saints are expected to field a full strength side for the game, which rounds off their Dutch tour and the final fixture before the club begin their Europa League campaign in a week’s time.

Koeman remains a massive draw in his native Holland, where he earned legendary status for his incredible career as one of the greatest defenders in football history.

Feyenoord have made the decision to allow season ticket holders free access to the match, which along with other sales has officially made the game a complete sell-out.

The attendance figure expected will put the match on a par with the kind of crowds many top Premier League sides are getting on their tours to destinations much further away from home.

De Kuip has a capacity of more than 51,000 and though not every single season ticket holder will probably show up, it will still be a massive crowd for a pre-season friendly.

Certainly it will be one of the biggest attendances Saints have ever played in front of during their summer build-up matches.

De Kuip, or ‘The Tub’, is the nickname for the stadium which was built in 1937 but completely renovated in 1994.

There are plans afoot to complete another overhaul of the stadium, which will increase the capacity to 70,000 and include a retractable roof.

As it stands De Kuip is already the second biggest football stadium in Holland, after the Amsterdam Arena.

Any Saints fans making the trip over for the game will no doubt be planning to spend some time in Rotterdam before the big kick-off.

The city is the second largest in the country and boasts Europe’s largest cargo port.

As well as Feyenoord there are two other football clubs based in Rotterdam – Excelsior and Sparta.

Like Feyenoord, Excelsior play in the Holland’s top flight, the Eredivisie, while Sparta are in the second tier.