Paul Lambert knows whether Saints or Norwich have the more potent attack – but he’s not telling anyone.

The Canaries boss has sung the praises of his deadly strike pair of Grant Holt and Chris Martin while Wes Hoolahan has also been a massive attacking force playing in behind them.

Holt (24), Martin (19) and Hoolahan (13) have netted 56 times between them this season.

Saints have relied heavily on 25-goal Rickie Lambert while Adam Lallana, with 14 league and cup strikes, is also have a cracking term.

Carrow Road boss Lambert was asked whether he thought Norwich’s front three were more dangerous than Saints’ attackers, but refused to be drawn too far.

He said: “I know in my own head.

“I have great belief in my lads that they will go out and produce what they’ve been doing before.

“It won’t be for the lack of trying, and if you ask Alan Pardew the same he would probably tell you the same – which is nothing.

“Sometimes when people put the hype on the lads to go and produce it doesn’t really happen.

On this given day we have to hope that our lads will do what they’ve been doing throughout the season.

“They have nearly 50 league goals between the three of them, which is incredible.

“We don’t play defensive football. The best way to win a game is to try and get on the front foot and get the crowd behind us and that’s what we will try and do.

“When you play at home and you have that amount of people watching you, you have got to try and entertain them.

“You have got to try and win games and you have to get them on your side, whether it’s Tranmere or Southampton or Leeds.

“If you look at the last two games (against Southampton) they were terrific games of football and worthy of a higher division, but the truth of the matter is we’re not.

“That’s the whole crux of the matter.

“We’re in League One and we have to earn the right to get out of it.”

Much has been made of Rickie Lambert and Holt going head to head at Carrow Road this afternoon as Saints travel to face the league leaders.

Lambert said of his goalscoring namesake: “He’s done terrific, there’s no doubt he’s a major player for them.

“There’s been a lot made of Grant Holt and him going against each other, all that sort of thing, but I don’t look at it like that.”

Norwich will be roared on by a sell-out crowd and, after the two previous meetings between the sides this season ended in 2-2 draws at St Mary’s, Lambert is expecting another spectacular game.

“You’d like to think there would be a bit more space and that’s the thing you have to try and exploit,” he said.

“They know and we know we have good players who can hurt them.

“It’s the same for us – we know they have got really good players who can hurt us if we’re not on our game.”