Legend Benali previews Southampton’s first pre-season friendly.

SAINTS resume action today with a friendly against neighbours Eastleigh. I cannot conceive of a finer preseason opener.

For a variety of reasons, playing against a local National League team is an excellent way to return to action. Players require minutes in the legs, and fans want to see the Saints back on the pitch. With great Kelvin Davis in charge of the Spitfires, this is an excellent opportunity to unite the two groupings of supporters, many of whom fall into both categories.

A game at the Silverlake Stadium, which is more intimate than St Mary’s, allows fans to watch Southampton up close.

Watching the game up close allows fans to establish stronger bonds with the players. You can hear their shouts on the pitch and see the expressions on their faces in moments of joy and agony.

While this will be our only game in this type of setting, I believe it is an important place to begin because this group of players needs to re-establish their connection with the fans. Saints defeated Eastleigh 7-1 last summer as they prepared to return to the Premier League.

The scoreline, like other pre-season games, should not be taken too seriously. That is especially true given the disparity between the two teams, but the game will reveal a few details about Will Still’s plans for the championship season.

He has already stated that he intends to play a back-four system, and we will get a sense of how that will look. We’ll also see fresh signings and loan returnees.

The first game of the preseason is always important for preparation. You want to avoid injuries and get as many minutes out of as many players as possible. Ross Stewart, who has had the summer free for the first time in years, will benefit from a strong pre-season.

I’m curious whether we’ll see new signing Damion Downs play against the Spitfires or if he’ll be rested.

He landed to Staplewood on Tuesday to finalise his transfer from FC Köln, where he won promotion last season, immediately following the Gold Cup with America.

Downs has been in international action for the past month, which must be emotionally exhausting, but he will also want to impress his new management.

This could possibly be the last time we see Tyler Dibling and Aaron Ramsdale in a Saints shirt, as they are expected to leave the club this summer.

This will be Eastleigh’s most difficult pre-season test, and it will serve as a significant learning curve ahead of their National League promotion campaign.

Kelvin spoke this week about his ambition to develop a partnership with Saints, which might involve some academy players joining Eastleigh to obtain senior football experience. If one of our young guys need that test, I don’t see why we shouldn’t send them to Eastleigh.

They are just down the road and will be eager to aid Southampton’s young players. It would be beneficial for all parties involved.

Eastleigh have been attempting to achieve promotion to the Football League for several years, and it has proven to be a challenging feat. It’s a highly competitive division. They’ve made a strong start to their summer recruitment, signing players who competed in League Two last season.

If they were promoted, it would be huge for the local community. I’d also like to congratulate the 12 players that signed scholarships with the Saints this summer.

My advise would be to enjoy your time as a scholar, work hard, and remember that football is supposed to be fun.

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