Southampton: Eckert not worried by chaos Arsenal tie could cause | Daily Echo

HEAD coach Tonda Eckert is not panicked by the fixture congestion Southampton's FA Cup progression will cause during the run-in.

The St Mary's outfit have been drawn at home to Arsenal in the FA Cup quarter-final, which could force both of their Easter Weekend Championship games to be moved.

Saints are currently scheduled to face Ipswich on Friday, April 3 and Wrexham on Monday, April 6. No date has been confirmed for their tie against Arsenal.

The EFL has already assigned Portsmouth vs Ipswich to one of the rare midweek Championship fixture slots available, reducing possibilities for Saints.

Eckert, whose side is unbeaten in their last 10 games and gunning to reach sixth place in the second tier, remains utterly focused on this month's games.

"There are a couple of questions now coming up on when those games are going to take place and if it's a Tuesday or a Wednesday," he said ahead of facing West Brom.

Ipswich booked out for one of the three available midweek slots… EFL gambling on Saints not beating Arsenal in the FA Cup quarter-final if they don’t leave that April 28/29 slot free… probably a safe bet but you never know. Let’s see what they do next. #SaintsFC https://t.co/ojZSMMoTjG

— Alfie House (@AlfieHouseEcho) March 10, 2026

"I'm looking more at the games that we have in March at the very moment because it's such an important four games that come up now.

"Then we have a week to recover [during the international break], and then we can worry or look forward or whatever for what's coming up in April."

Asked for his reaction to drawing Arsenal in the FA Cup quarter-finals, Eckert outlined how he is more pleased to get a game at St Mary's.

"The most important thing is that we play at home. I think, especially now, it's four games away on the bounce," he explained.

"For everything that comes up after, it's nice that we can finish the season with many games at St Mary's.

"The away support was amazing, but the truth is you always prefer to play at home. I was quite happy that we got a home game."