Stoke boss Mark Hughes believes tomorrow’s clash with high-flying Saints will give his players the chance to prove how far they’ve come.

The Potters have enjoyed a strong season and are on course for a top-half finish in the Premier League.

That is nothing compared to Saints, though, who are still challenging for Champions League qualification.

“From our point of view, I think it's a good opportunity to show where we are,” said Hughes, on Stoke’s official website.

“They have had a good season and quite rightly so they’ve received a lot of plaudits.

“We've probably been somewhat under the radar in comparison, but I think it's an opportunity for us to show how far we've come as well.”

The contest at the Britannia Stadium will be the third meeting between the teams this term, with Saints winning the previous two.

They followed up a 1-0 win at St Mary’s, thanks to a Sadio Mane strike, with a 3-2 away victory in the Capital One Cup.

Former Saints striker Hughes is expecting another close encounter this weekend.

“We did okay at Southampton, not great though,” he said.

“We never really looked like winning the game. They scored one goal and took it away from us.

“The cup game was a little bit different – we got off to a bad start, but came storming back.

“Unfortunately, Peter Crouch got sent-off and that compromised us a little bit and we were unable to see the game out.

“But games against Southampton are always competitive.

“They are always games that both sides try to win. For a neutral, it’s always a good fixture to pick up if you can.”