JOSE Fonte is backing Saints’ fringe players to secure the club a home quarter-final against Chelsea.

Fonte and the rest of the players involved in the 1-1 draw at Stoke City on Saturday are expected to be rested from tomorrow night’s last-16 Capital One Cup tie at Sunderland.

But Fonte is confident the club’s unbeaten run will be extended to nine games in all competitions - their longest as a top-flight club for more than a decade. He said: It will be very hard but a few players want to show the manager he can count on them so we’ll have a strong team.

“There are a lot of other players that deserve to play. We have a very good squad with players that need minutes and game time.

“If we win this one we’re at home in the quarter-finals, so hopefully we can win so we can welcome Chelsea, which would be a great game.”

Saints will be able to field several internationals tomorrow night, even by making wholesale changes.

Tadanari Lee, Steve Davis and record signing Gaston Ramirez can both expect a recall.

And Maya Yoshida is likely to renew his Capital One Cup partnership with Jos Hooiveld.

Many of the players will also be playing against a Gus Poyet team for the first time since Saints’ rivalry with Brighton during the promotions from League One and the Championship under Nigel Adkins.

The likes of Hooiveld, Jack Cork and Kelvin Davis will have the chance to avenge the defeat Saints suffered in their last outing against a Poyet team – the highly-charged 3-0 loss at Brighton in January 2012.

But while Sunderland have lost seven of their last eight games against Premier League opposition, they have won their only home game since Poyet replaced Paolo Di Canio last month, 2-1 against Newcastle United.

Meanwhile, Saints’ Premier League game at Sunderland on January 18 has been put back to a 12.45pm kick off.