NEW ORLEANS -- The New Orleans Saints are returning to the Superdome for their NFL season-opener Sunday, The Associated Press has learned.

Forced to flee to Indianapolis ahead of Hurricane Gustav, the Saints will be able to open their season as scheduled against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, a person with direct knowledge of the situation said Tuesday.

On Monday, the team's Executive Vice President and General Manager Mickey Loomis said the team hoped to play at home Sunday, but was waiting to hear if the city would be prepared to host the game.

"We want to be one of the first ones back to New Orleans. We want to play our game in New Orleans. We want to raise the spirits of our community," Loomis said at a news conference Monday. "That will be dependent on the ability of the city this weekend to host an NFL game and where the city stands in the case of the services that it can provide and can we handle an NFL crowd."

The person declined to be identified because an official announcement had not been made Tuesday.

The Louisiana Superdome was not used as a refuge during Gustav as it was during Katrina three years ago, and did not sustain any structural or interior damage and never lost power.