Swindon face Southampton in the League Cup 2nd Round tie at The County Ground this evening, kick-off 7.45pm. The League record of both sides are the mirror opposite of each other; Swindon have won 1 and lost 4, while Southampton have won 4 and lost just 1, that defeat against Leicester at the weekend.

League Cup Form… If you didn’t already know… Swindon won the League Cup in 1969 with a shock 3-1 victory over First Division Arsenal. In the 42 subsequent years Town have reached the semi-finals twice, but have failed to progress past the 2nd Round for 15 seasons since a 3rd Round tie at Old Trafford in 1996.

Southampton’s best run in the League Cup was a final appearance in 1979 where they were defeated 3-2 by reigning First Division Champions Nottingham Forest.

The Saints haven’t progressed past the 2nd Round since 2008-09 following recent 2nd Round defeats to Bolton and Birmingham. That 3rd Round tie in September 2008 was an embarasing 3-1 reverse at Rotherham.

Swindon Team Speculation… After being dropped against Shrewsbury will Alan Connell be given his chance to impress upfront with Leon Clarke? Personally I’d welcome Alberto Comazzi taking the starting place of Joe Devera. The former Barnet man is slowly becoming the ‘Phil Smith of the defence’ with his nervy displays, plus Aden Flint needs an experienced head alongside him. As Oliver Risser remains injured Alan McCormack is set to challenge Jon Smith and Simon Ferry for a midfield berth.

Southampton Team Speculation… After a 3-2 defeat to Leicester manager Nigel Adkins is expected to use the match as an opportunity to give some fringe players the 90 minutes, including De Ridder and Fox who both impressed after coming on as substitutes at the weekend. Richard Chaplow is available for selection after he completed his 3 match ban.

Di Canio Says… “We want to keep positive and another win in the cup against Southampton would give us another lift going into the league at the weekend. If we play like we did at Bristol City in the last round we will have a good chance against them. The League Cup is something different and maybe that will give us an opportunity to impress.” – Speaking to swindontownfc.co.uk

Previous Meetings… in The Football League, FA and League Cups the sides have met on 37 occasions. Southampton certainly have the better overall record with Swindon having secured 10 victories, 7 draws and 20 defeats over the years.

Importantly Swindon have never won an FA or League Cup match against their opponents from St Mary’s in the five FA Cup and four League Cup games.

At The County Ground, Swindon have a better record, winning 8, drawing 5 and suffering 5 defeats from the 18 encounters.

With both sides facing each other in League One over the past two seasons, Swindon had the upper hand with three successive 1-0 victories, however our 4-1 defeat at St Mary’s in late February under Danny Wilson was our heaviest defeat of the 2010/11 campaign.

From The Archive… 17th February 1996 – FA Cup 5th Round – Swindon 1 – 1 Southampton

Division Two pacesetters Swindon faced Premier League Southampton in what is now our most successful FA Cup run for 15 years. Despite a Southampton side featuring Le Tissier, 15,000 inside the County Ground watched Town take the lead with a 33 minute right footed Kevin Horlock strike. Town held on until the 77th minute when Gordon Watson headed in a Le Tissier corner at The Stratton Bank.

The replay at The Dell was a walk-over for Southampton, running out 2-0 victors (Matt Oakley & Neil Shipperley) to setup a tie with eventual winners Manchester United at Old Trafford where they lost 2-0 (Cantona & Sharpe).

Prediction… With the league Southampton’s priority another upset is on the cards tonight as Di Canio’s Swindon will secure their second Championship scalp with a 2-0 victory. The winner (Swindon) will play either Charlton or Preston at home in the next round.