'It's the Battle of the South Coast'

The most anticipated fixture of the season is looming. Two sides, separated by 19 miles along the M27, with fans who obsess over their local team. It's the Battle of the South Coast. I'm talking, of course, about Southampton v Portsmouth. It's a source of excitement, nerves and anxiety, which usually results in chaos.

It's a unique derby in the sense that it rarely happens. This is the first league meeting between the clubs since April 2012 - and will be the 72nd between them - with both sides seemingly missing each other on the way to success and contrasting financial downfalls.

In this case, Saints are coming off their worst season in history, and Portsmouth are on the rise having survived their first season back in the Championship in 12 years, with two games to spare.

This feels, for the first time in a long time, like they are relative equals. Which only adds more fuel to the fire.

In fact, Portsmouth have started brighter. Two points better off and five places higher. They've enjoyed a successful summer transfer window, and are just beginning to see the fruits of that, picking up four points in their past two games and remaining undefeated on their travels so far.

Saints are trying to readjust after their disastrous 2024-25 Premier League season, with a new manager in Will Still and a whole host of new additions to integrate, with the hope they can fill the void left by the outgoing Mateus Fernandes and Tyler Dibling. Do the new recruits truly understand what this fixture means for the locals?

This is a game that sets the nerves jangling from the start of the week. Come matchday, we'll all be in knots. The history, the passion, the hatred. Who wants it more? Who will get bragging rights in the office on Monday morning? One thing is certain, you can throw all form out the window and treat this like a cup final.

I'm still confident Southampton come out on top. What a way for Still and the new signings to start their careers on the south coast; a win against the old enemy would etch themselves into the annals of history.

You can hear more from Ray on the In That Number podcast.