MX23RW : Thursday, January 16 13:06:25| >> :600:1121448:1121448:
Jan 4, 2020 at 3.01pm UK at ​St Mary's Stadium
Attendance: 20,091
Southampton
2-0
HuddersfieldHuddersfield Town
Smallbone (47'), Vokins (87')
FT(HT: 0-0)

Ralph Hasenhuttl looking for "right balance" of rotation for FA Cup

Ralph Hasenhuttl looking for
© Reuters
The Saints were semi-finalists in 2017-18.

Southampton manager Ralph Hasenhuttl insists his side are taking the FA Cup seriously but has hinted he will make changes for the third round visit of Huddersfield.

The Saints, semi-finalists in 2017-18, are on a fine run of form in the Premier League, with New Year's Day's 1-0 win over Tottenham their fifth in eight games.

However, on the back of a hectic festive period, Hasenhuttl will give an opportunity to some of his fringe players against the Championship Terriers.

"We must have a look; we had a very busy period with a lot of very intense games with short breaks in between," the Austrian said.

"We have a few players waiting for their chance to show up and also wanting to be part of this winning team at the moment and wanting to show that they are able to win games for us.

"So it will be not so easy to find the right balance of making the rotation for the FA Cup.

"We want to take this challenge very seriously in this competition. Last season we lost in the third round and we want to do it better at home in front of our fans.

"Everyone enjoys playing in this ground and we want to keep the momentum."

Saints will be favourites against Huddersfield, who are struggling at the bottom end of the Championship following their relegation from the Premier League last season.

But Hasenhuttl is wary, given their exit in last season's third round to Derby.

"We want to concentrate on this competition, the FA Cup is important for us, we want to go as far as possible and the best possible team will start on Saturday," he added.

"When you play at home against a Championship team everyone expects a win. But everyone knows it is a cup game, special rules and laws.

"It is never easy, but the most important thing is to find a team that can do this workload that we need for our game.

"If it is with three or four new players then it is not a problem, they are hot now and will want to show that they can also be part of this team and that is the reaction I want to see."

One of those players who could be set for some action is striker Che Adams, who has been linked with a loan move to Leeds.

Adams has not scored in 17 appearances this season but Hasenhuttl says he will be an important player in the second half of the season.

"I cannot consider that I loan him out because I need every player, especially in the attacking position, we don't have that many," he said.

"I know he is not so happy at the moment because he didn't play so often and did not score but I think we know what we have with him and we know that we need him in the second half of the season."

body check tags ::

Click here for more stories about Ralph Hasenhuttl

Click here for more stories about Southampton

Share this article now:
New Instagram promo
Stoke City manager Michael O'Neill on December 7, 2019
Read Next:
Michael O'Neill eyes "fresh start" for Stoke after thrashing Huddersfield
>
Sports Mole Logo
Enter your email address to subscribe to Sports Mole's free match previews newsletter! Updates are sent twice a week.

Tables
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool21201050143661
2Manchester CityMan City22152562253747
3Leicester CityLeicester22143547212645
4Chelsea22123739291039
5Manchester UnitedMan Utd2297636251134
6Sheffield UnitedSheff Utd228862421332
7Wolverhampton WanderersWolves2271053128331
8Tottenham HotspurSpurs228683631530
9Crystal Palace227872024-429
10Arsenal2261062931-228
11Everton2284102532-728
12Southampton2284102739-1228
13Newcastle UnitedNewcastle2275102134-1326
14Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton2266102530-524
15Burnley2273122437-1324
16West Ham UnitedWest Ham2164112533-822
17Watford2257102034-1422
18Aston Villa2263132843-1521
19Bournemouth2255122035-1520
20Norwich CityNorwich2235142245-2314

Subscribe to our Newsletter


Transfer Talk Daily
Match previews - twice weekly
Morning Briefing (7am UTC)
Ultra close-up image of Kevin De Bruyne [NOT FOR USE IN ARTICLES]Get the latest transfer news, match previews and news direct to your inbox!