Claude Puel has urged Saints not just to defend their one goal lead against Liverpool as he believes they will need to score at Anfield tomorrow night if they are to reach Wembley.

The Saints boss is gearing up for the second leg of the EFL Cup semi-final, with many predicting his side will just try to shut down the game to protect their narrow advantage.

However, Puel is adamant his side need to be prepared to attack as well when the time is right, and thinks they will need to find a way through Jurgen Klopp’s side if they are to make a first major final in 14 years.

He said: “It’s an important game, exciting. It will be a good thing to win against Leicester to prepare with a good attitude and a good spirit this game.

“Liverpool will have one day more recovery and it’s important with all these games.

“It’s a good thing for the confidence with the last game to stop these four lost in the Premier League and it was interesting of course to prepare this game in a good mentality.

“We know this game will be difficult against a great team, great players. They lost their last game in the Premier League against Swansea and they will want to react and of course to do a second leg with a strong game.

“It’s important for us to stay with good focus about our game, our play, to play with good calm and quality and not think of a good result.

“We are in a situation it is not efficient to stay just one goal up.

“It will be important to score other goal away.”

He added: “We will have a good team and a strong team to defend this result, and not just to defend this result but to attack also and play a strong game like the first leg.

“It will be difficult of course and Liverpool will be favourite but it’s football and all is possible.”

Puel was asked about the possibility of following in the footsteps of Lawrie McMenemy and Gordon Strachan in leading Saints to a major final, but refused to entertain the prospect.

“It is not possible for me to think about the final before we play the second leg,” he insisted.

“It would be a mistake to think about the final and to dream to win this, because for the moment we are nothing. It is one leg, one goal up.

“You know this game can do the difference against any team, any player.

“They have solutions and great players and it’s important to stay with a good focus about this game and our ability and capacity to play a strong game.

“Not just in defence because it is not efficient to just keep the same result in defence, but to stay strong and push them for a strong game with all the team together.”