Claude Puel is confident his team can handle the pressure situation of a final day Europa League shootout against Hapoel Be’er Sheva.

Saints have to get either a win or a goalless draw against the Israelis at St Mary’s to ensure progress to the knockout stages.

The fixture is a huge occasion for the club, but Puel is confident his side won’t buckle under the weight of expectation.

“Yes of course (they can handle the pressure), said Puel. “All my players make progress since the beginning of the season to play all this game and it’s important for the squad.

“I think we are ready to make a strong game and it will be important against this team and it’s a good team with technical players and they can win their last game against Inter Milan and deserve to make this final of the group, but we are ready.”

If Saints do get a positive result against Be’er Sheva, it will leave them able to look ahead to the knockout stages of the Europa League and the semi-finals of the EFL Cup while safely in midtable of the Premier League.

However, Puel is taking nothing for granted.

“For the moment it’s not a success. It’s important to qualify and for the semi-final,” he insisted.

“It’s one of the objectives for the second part of the season and the first objective is to come in to the first part of the table in the Premier League and qualify for the Europa League.

“This is very important for the squad and since the beginning of the season with all this many games I said at the beginning it was important to have a strong squad and not just 11 players.

“We develop all the team and the different players. I think two players for every place and every position.

“We improve also with young players and give them game time and this is the philosophy of the club and an objective also to develop young players and try to have all the time good results.

“It’s not a surprise to win some games, it’s not enough, but it’s interesting as we develop all the player and young players also but also to have a good result is important.

“It’s important to consider all the team and for us at the moment the work is interesting but it’s important to continue and the progress we have to do, for example recovery between the games.

“For me it’s not possible to see a strong team against Everton and the same team with the same play against Crystal Palace. We have to learn on the recovery and give all the concentration, all the spirit, against every team.

“This is the progress we have to do.”