It's FA Cup time again and Huddersfield Town are the visitors as we look to put together a decent cup run this year.

Saints are looking to use the FA Cup to keep the momentum going in the Premier League as well as using the chance to give a youngster or two a chance to shine.

The opportunity to rest a few players will be good news to Ralph Hasenhuttl who has based our revival in using a core of around 16 players and with the games coming thick and fast, 8 in total in the Premier League in 33 days starting with Watford and ending with Spurs.

To put that in perspective the previous 8 Premier League fixtures had been spread in a period totalling 9 weeks.

So there must be members of our squad almost dead on their feet, so it will give the manager a chance to give his squad some respite.

I would expect to see a change in goal with Angus Gunn and certainly in the back four, here I would like to see some youngsters used, Jake Vokins at right back is highly rated and so fa has only a few minutes against Manchester City in the League cup to his name.

In the centre perhaps a game in the centre of defence for Kevin Danso or failing that Christoph Klarer, we have to blood youngsters rather than just give Jannik Vestergaard or Yoshida a game.

In midfield Oriol Romeu needs game time and perhaps Callum Slattery should start as he did in the same round last year and made an impression.

Out wide and up front we can combine experience with youth, Shane Long & Che dams not to mention Michael Obafemi could all use game time and likewise some of those youngsters such as Kayne Ramsey, Tyreke Johnson who featured last season could b slotted in elsewhere.

Hudderfield themselves may well rest players, they have injury problems, but more urgently the need to avoid a second successive relegation, currently sitting four points above the drop zone, they were hammered at home 5-2 by the side directly below them Stoke City in their last game, so will be well aware they are far from safe.

This is a good chance for Ralph Hasenhuttl to rest some of his squad, give some experienced fringe players a game and just as importantly look to the future.

A good FA Cu run will help confidence and with the fifth round not taking place till March, a good win against Huddersfield and a good draw in the 4th round would mean that by the time we play that 5th round we would know whether we are clear of the drop zone and can focus on the FA Cup and perhaps get to Wembley again.

Photo: Action Images

schatfield added 13:30 - Jan 3 Defo Che Adams for this to get that goal he so needs, would like to see the invisible man Danso again too
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davidargyll added 14:03 - Jan 3 Will Smallbone was on the bench in the Palace game...
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davenbennett added 15:05 - Jan 3 I thought Tyreke Johnson was on loan at W oking, but out with a long term injury? The U23s have been struggling this year, after being promoted. Nobody looks near ready for the first team.
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underweststand added 18:44 - Jan 3 Agree with schatfield.. Ché Adams MUST start v. Huddersfield - because he's now in the Big Boy's League and trying to keep his head above water. If he can't put in a reasonable show against a team in the bottom half of the Championship , then I can't see any Championship side wanting to loan him, and for us it would be an ominous sign of another " wasted £15 million player" - with a long contract. There is also a world of difference between U23 and the L1 level where we regularly loan out players - but I have been impressed by Will Smallbone and would like to see him get some game time, this being a good opportunity. So...Adams and Obafemi to start, and perhaps Shane Long 's company for an hour with Armstrong and Smallbone getting some minutes... and resting a few of the regulars on the bench - just in case.

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underweststand added 10:54 - Jan 4 P.S. to above. My post above was based along the same line of thought that others had shared. BUT in retrospect.. .if our " B squad" can't get a win over a team in Huddesfield's present position, then we musr seriously consider ....either ..... 1) those who have had Prem. experience (and flop) really aren't up to it .....or 2) those U23 youngsters likely to be included (and flop) ...just aren't ready yet. I'm wondering if Ralph might make wholesale changes rather than just " resting a few ".

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