Saints will be without Downes for Saturday’s FA Cup quarter-final against Arsenal after he accrued his second yellow card of the competition at Fulham.
His absence has presented an opportunity for Bragg, Caspar Jander and Oriol Romeu, who did not start against Oxford United last time out.
Eckert typically turns to Bragg when looking to replace Downes during a game, but the 21 year old knows there is stiff competition for a starting berth.
“I’m hoping to get into Tonda’s mind, as I am every week. Playing against Arsenal will be an unbelievable occasion,” he told the Daily Echo
You can get a four-month Daily Echo subscription for £4 to follow all of our Saints coverage. (Image: Newsquest)
“I’m sure St Mary’s will be bouncing. Kicking off at 8pm on a Saturday night, we will need everyone behind us.
“It’s going to be an incredible experience, and hopefully we can produce again. We are 14-game unbeaten, and we really don’t want to let that streak go.
“We will prepare to win that game. That is always Tonda’s mindset, and it’s always the mindset we have as players, too.”
He added: “We can’t deny how incredible Arsenal are. They’ve arguably got the best team in the world right now.
“They are sitting at the top of the Premier League, and they are in the quarters of the Champions League as well.
“If we want to play in the Premier League next year, we have to play against teams like this and compete. We will give it everything.”
Saturday’s FA Cup tie against Arsenal is the start of a potentially season-defining stretch of games, with league clashes against Wrexham and Derby to follow.
Saints sit ahead of Wrexham on goal difference, but will fall behind the Welsh club if they beat West Brom on Good Friday, while Derby are also hot on their heels.
“It feels like every game is season-defining at the moment. The boys know how much every game means. It doesn’t matter who we play,” Bragg added.
Cam Bragg is targeting a starting berth for Saints against Arsenal in the FA Cup. (Image: Southampton FC/Matt Watson)
READ: McQueen inspiring next generation as he still learns to love life after football
“It can be Sheffield Wednesday, Wrexham or Derby, we just need to win games. We proved we can do it against Coventry away.
“Those upcoming games will be tough for sure, but we are in a really good place. It is such a nice group to be a part of and a competitive group.
“We are a really hungry group who demand really high standards of each other. That is the main thing; we aren’t going to let that go.
“We have a month, hopefully two months, of football left, and we are going to put everything into it to hopefully do as well as we can.”