SAINTS skipper James Ward-Prowse admitted it was “all fun and games” to line up against close pal Danny Ings and insisted: “He will be wanting to smash me and I want to smash him come Friday night!”

Ings left Saints to join Villa for £30million last summer, in a sudden departure.

Having signed at St Mary’s from Liverpool following a successful loan spell, the Winchester-born striker netted 46 times in 100 games for Saints.

But Ings could be set to go toe-to-toe with Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side once again, when the club’s clash at Villa Park this evening (8pm).

Asked by the Daily Echo about facing up against Ings, Ward-Prowse said: “It’s strange coming up against somebody that you are close with.

“We are all friends before the game and it’s all great but, you know, he will be wanting to smash me and I want to smash him come Friday night!

“It’s all positive, all fun and games. That’s part of it.

“We will shake hands and have a hug after. It will be good to see him and, hopefully, keep him quiet”

Ings netted when Villa thumped Saints 4-0 in Birmingham, during the sides’ Premier League contest back in March.

Quizzed on how the south coast side would keep Ings quiet this time round, Ward-Prowse said: “I can’t give away too many tactical details we have been working on but, of course, he’s a fantastic player.

“If you give him the space he inevitably takes the opportunity. He is a player we are going to have to watch, for sure.”

Ward-Prowse himself was the subject of a £25million bid from Villa last summer. After that was rejected, Saints rewarded the England international with a fresh, long-term contract.

“Looking at it now, with the start of the season we’ve had it’s been an eventful one. I think we’ve a lot of challenges along the way,” said the Saints academy graduate.

“We have lost a lot of experienced players and gained a lot of young players.

“You never know how that’s going to go at the start because they’ve not got that experience behind them and we have lost a lot experience.

“But they have come and shown their eagerness and enthusiasm to play. That’s definitely rubbed off on the rest of the squad.”

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