Southampton boss Tonda Eckert insists he is not going to Wembley for a day out as he attempts to turn the "honour" of facing Pep Guardiola into a famous FA Cup upset.
Fifty years after Saints lifted the trophy for the only time in their history, Eckert is out to mastermind a semifinal shock against Premier League leaders Manchester City under the arch on Saturday evening.
As in previous rounds, second-tier Southampton will wear special yellow shirts to commemorate their 1-0 victory over Manchester United in the 1976 final.
German coach Eckert, whose side stunned City's title rivals Arsenal in the quarter-finals with a 2-1 win, has never previously visited the national stadium.
"First of all, it's an honour for me to stand on the sideline next to him [City manager Guardiola], but the goal is very clear -- we go there to compete and we go there to win the game," the 33-year-old said.
"It's a big stadium, obviously, but I don't go there for the experience. I don't go there as a spectator. We go there to challenge and I think that's a very different way of approaching [the occasion].
"You can feel around the club for many, many weeks and months now that this year is very special.
"The competition itself is obviously always special, but now being the 50th anniversary of when we last won it, even more so."
Southampton go into the game on a 20-match unbeaten run, dating back to January, and still in contention for automatic promotion from the Sky Bet Championship.
With two league games remaining, Saints sit fourth in the table, three points behind upcoming opponents Ipswich, who are second and have a game in hand.
More than 35,000 Southampton fans will travel to Wembley, hoping for a repeat of the upset against Arsenal.
"The pressure is on at this part of the season," said Eckert, who replaced Will Still in early November. "It's prime time, not just for us, for many big teams.
"We don't shy away from that. We embrace that pressure and we need to thrive off it."
Southampton's last victory over City was a 2-0 Carabao Cup quarterfinal success under Nathan Jones in January 2023, which ultimately denied Guardiola's side the quadruple.
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Midfielder Flynn Downes will sit out the semi-final -- and Saints' two remaining Championship fixtures -- after being hit with a retrospective three-match ban for violent conduct in the 2-1 win at Swansea on April 18.
Left-back Ryan Manning is also suspended, while captain Jack Stephens faces a late fitness test on a calf issue which caused him to miss Tuesday evening's 2-2 draw with Bristol City.
"I think we have shown in many parts of the season that we are able to find ways to play football games without key players," Eckert said.
"It might change the approach a little bit on how we go about the upcoming games, but we've had this over different spells as well where there were important players missing.
"We just need to make sure we adapt in some moments. I'm sure we'll find a way."