It’s a brain teaser.

With Saints having just the Premier League campaign left to concentrate on this season, and with European qualification so tantalisingly close, everybody is starting to wonder just what the team will need to do to secure a huge adventure for next season.

Daily Echo: Koeman's European dilemma.

Ronald Koeman’s message is overarching and by far the most important and simplistic – just keep winning games.

But it wouldn’t be football if in the days between games minds didn’t wander a little further.

When you start to scratch the surface there are a host of permutations that could either boost or hamper Saints’ European hopes.

We might all think we know the rules, but we do we really?

The top four qualify for the Champions League, right?

Well, not necessarily.

In rules fresh for next season there is a scenario whereby the team finishing fourth might actually have to settle for the Europa League. The chances of that happening are, admittedly, small, but they still exist.

And how about the runners-up of the FA Cup? Well for the first time this season they don’t get in if the winners have already qualified via the league.

Instead, that place now defers to the Premier League.

If the League Cup and FA Cup went the right way then it could mean seventh place is enough for the Europa League this season.

If that were to happen then it’s hard to imagine Saints won’t get it even if their run-in is not as we hope and believe it will be.

 It would require a massive collapse for Saints to fail to secure at least seventh place, and they will be aiming for far better.

With 16 games remaining they sit third in the Premier League table and, with a fairly kind of run of fixtures awaiting them, have given themselves every chance of making it to Europe.

Koeman will also soon be boosted by the return of a number of players from injury.

Saints have been hugely unfortunate in having injuries come in batches this season.

What is a real testament to the manager and the squad as a whole is how well they have coped.

That they have almost ridden out this latest storm of injuries without a dip of any sports at all, Crystal Palace aside, but even that in the cup rather than the league, is simply fantastic.

If all goes according to plan then this weekend’s game against Swansea might just be the last where they have to do without so many players. With a little bit of luck on their side their squad might be close to full strength again by the time they take on QPR.

As for this weekend, they face a Swansea side on poor form and with a depleted squad too thanks to injuries and suspensions to some of their best players, while their top scorer has recently been sold.

There could be a few nervy weeks and months ahead for Saints fans, and some complicated permutations to get your head around, but nobody could question just how exciting this season has been, and will continue to be as the season marches towards a conclusion.

Every game will be massive and for all the ifs and buts that the outside world will naturally ponder, Koeman will remain ice cool as he has so far.

All that matters to him is winning each game as it comes.

If Saints continue to do that then European football will come to St Mary’s next season, and how wonderful that will be.