Saints V Huddersfield Town The Preview Friday, 3rd Jan 2020 13:26 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 Please report offensive, libellous or inappropriate posts by using the links provided.
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