SAINTS defender Jan Bednarek has laid down a marker ahead of next weekend's Premier League opener against Burnley.

The Polish international played all 90 minutes of Saints' final pre-season match against FC Koln at St Mary's.

Goals from Danny Ings and captain Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg saw off the German side in a comfortable manner.

Saints' win meant that they went through this summer's pre-season without a defeat, which has left Bednarek feeling confident.

Bednarek said: “It was really nice to come back to St Mary’s and give the win to the fans.

“I think they were happy and I think they are looking forward to the season.

“It’s going to be a very good season for us. We are confident, and we feel well prepared.

“We just want to get it started.

“The scores haven’t been the most important thing for us. The most important thing was to get physically, tactically and mentally ready.

“We showed that we are ready and that we are strong. Everyone can be afraid of us.”

Before today's win against FC Koln, Saints had beaten Preston North End, Brentford [behind closed doors] and Chinese side Guangzhou R&F.

Their only blip came against Austrian outfit SCR Altach, which was their first match of the summer.

It ended in a 1-1 draw despite Che Adams netting an early opener on his debut.

Despite the good form and clean sheet this afternoon, defender Bednarek admitted there is still work to be done before the Burnley game.

“I think it’s very good to keep a clean sheet but there are still some aspects to work on,” he continued.

“We will deeply analyse the game and will take what’s good and we will make better what is wrong.

“We still have a week to work on it and we will be ready for next Saturday.”

Bednarek had an indifferent campaign last year.

He was initially exiled by former boss Mark Hughes but immediately brought into the fold by Ralph Hasenhuttl.

Bednarek ended the season as one of the first names on the team sheet and when he was questioned about what the fans can look forward to ahead of the upcoming campaign, he responded: “I expect us to give everything on the pitch.

“Of course, there are games we are going to lose but we just need to give 100 per cent on the pitch and we need to fight for the team and for Southampton.”