Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll has stated that Monday's game with the New Orleans Saints is "a completely different situation" to when the sides met in the 2010 playoffs.

Both teams are leading their respective divisions and have been tipped by many to be the two sides who meet in the NFC Championship game to decide who reaches the Super Bowl.

In the 2010 clash, Carroll's men were 41-36 victors at CenturyLink Field.

Carroll told his ESPN radio show: "I don't think it's anywhere near the same situation. At that point, we hadn't done a whole lot.

"We were kind of the Cinderella shot coming out of nowhere. Like Rocky or something, so it was a totally different match-up. That isn't what this game is.

"This is two teams that are doing really well. But the crowd and the setting and all that will be similar. We want to feel very comfortable in that stadium. We count on that."

The Seahawks have not been beaten in their home stadium since December 2011.