Why Ralph Hasenhuttl believes Southampton must 'overperform' if they're to deliver a victory over Portsmouth

And Ralph Hasenhuttl insists his side must ‘overperform’ if they’re to take the south-coast bragging rights back to St Mary's.

The Blues are unbeaten against their fierce foes since 2005, while the last time Southampton won at Fratton Park was in 1984.

Yet the Premier League outfit are firm favourites to get one over their rivals and advance into the fourth round of the Carabao Cup.

They face a Pompey side two divisions and 51 berths below them in the league ladder.

Kenny Jackett’s men have opened their League One account in woeful fashion, picking up just six points from seven matches.

Nevertheless, Hasenhuttl has watched video footage of the Blues and believes they have the quality to ‘hurt’ Southampton.

That’s why he's warning his players to take nothing for granted.

The St Mary’s boss said: ‘I’ve seen a lot of their games. They’re always a flexible team with a few good habits.

‘Although they’re not that successful at the moment in the league, I expect a very enthusiastic team.

‘They’ll want to show up from the first moment and this will be a good game for us.

‘They have a few good strengths in their team and I think if we let them play football then they can hurt you.

‘That’s why we have to be focused on our quality.

‘In cup games, especially the lower-league teams, they’re always playing above their quality – overperforming if you want.

‘If we underperform then we have a problem. We also have to overperform and play better than we did last Friday (in their 3-1 loss to AFC Bournemouth).’

Pompey and Southampton do battle for the first time since 2012 when David Norris’ famous volley rescued Michael Appleton’s men a 2-2 draw at St Mary’s.

Despite spending the majority of his career in Austria and Germany, Hasenhuttl is well aware of what the south-coast derby means to both sets of supporters.

He feels it’s a game that’s ‘more than football.’

The Southampton manager added: ‘You can feel it’s an historical game.

‘The sport in England is very historic and this is what you’ll feel in every moment in this game.

‘It’s more than football that makes this game so interesting because it’s not about money.

‘It’s about being proud of being this game and every player has to know that when they go out on the pitch.’