FORGET the second leg - Saints must take the bull by the horns TONIGHT.

If Saints are to travel to Anfield in two weeks’ time with any hope of getting to Wembley, the St Mary’s leg this evening holds the key.

Claude Puel’s side kept Jurgen Klopp’s men at bay with a superb defensive display in the 0-0 Premier League home draw in November.

Those tactics have to wait for the Anfield tie, however.

In an ideal scenario, Saints would have gone to Anfield in the first leg, parked the bus and held on for a goalless draw.

Doesn’t sound glamorous, but it would have kept the tie very much alive.

But now it’s up to Saints to take the lead going to Liverpool tonight - easier said than done, obviously.

The last thing Puel will want is to be heading to Merseyside knowing they must chase the game.

That would play into Liverpool’s hands completely.

They have the ability to rip teams apart with their high pressing, bordering on chaotic style of play.

They’ve scored the most goals (48) of any team in the Premier League this season so far, which is more than double Saints’ tally (19).

Liverpool would find it far easier to unlock Saints’ defence if Puel’s men needed a goal at Anfield.

Saints must therefore try and stop the rot, after failing to win in the four games after Christmas, and produce a performance similar to the second-half at Bournemouth tonight.

Puel’s side played their best stuff of the season at the Cherries.

They then took that belief into the early stages of the Tottenham game.

Spurs eventually suppressed Saints and they lost 4-1.

That confidence and belief in Puel’s system has not been seen since.

But with Liverpool often vulnerable at the back, and with Klopp’s men facing a big trip to Manchester United on Sunday, Saints should head out with the same mentality they had at the Vitality Stadium.

Ambitious Puel wants Saints to control the game because, in his words, “we have nothing to lose”.

If Puel does give his team license to play, then at least Saints are ambitious.

They want to try and seize the moment.

And if they can go to Anfield ahead, then they can dust off November’s game plan and try and eke out a passage to Wembley.