Gianfranco Zola said his players are fully focused for the trip to Middlesbrough for Wednesday night's FA Cup fifth-round replay.
With the tie at the Riverside Stadium to be played to be a finish, there is the possibility of extra time and penalties being required to determine who will take on Everton at Goodison Park on Sunday 8 March. "We are ready for anything, we are just preparing for every eventuality," he said. "Our fitness levels are very good. We are absolutely ready and we know how important the game is to everyone."
The manager is delighted that more than 3,000 fans are making the long journey to Middlesbrough with the club prepared to lay on up to 30 free coaches for supporters. Zola's men have enjoyed plenty of success in the north-east this season, winning at Sunderland and Hartlepool United and drawing at Newcastle United and Middlesbrough - the latter game a 1-1 league draw back on 1 November.
Zola is certainly grateful for the strong backing again waiting for his team. "There will be a lot of our supporters and the difference between our fans and their fans won't be very big," he said. "They will definitely be noisy and we want to give them every chance to be the loudest in the stadium. We want to make them all very happy.
"Our fans have been fantastic all season. They have always been with us, even in difficult moments like on Saturday [the 2-1 loss at Bolton Wanderers] when we could not get the result. To them, goes my appreciation. I am very thankful to them and it is important for the players when they run out to see them there in big numbers."
That reverse at Bolton has been wiped away by some committed training sessions, and the presence of captain Lucas Neill back from suspension will lift the team further. "Everybody is positive. It was a defeat but it doesn't feel like that because the players realise they played a very good match and they were very unlucky not to have at least drawn the match.
"They were very sharp in training and confidence wise we are good," he added, before explaining that he had no concerns about the centre-back position despite James Collins being ruled out for four weeks. "James had been playing very well and we are going to miss him but also I know that the player who comes in will do the job well."
With Neill, James Tomkins and Jonathan Spector vying for a start, Zola also has no doubts about his forwards, after they failed to turn their bright attacking play into goals at the weekend. "One game doesn't change anything," Zola said. "They have been doing so well and they may have missed some chances but I am sure they will put that right."