Mark Hughes will take charge of his first Southampton game on Sunday as the club face Wigan Athletic in the FA Cup quarter-finals.
It’s a wonderful opportunity for both sides to advance to the final four of the competition, reaching a semi-final at Wembley Stadium in the process.
Saints’ route to the quarter-finals has been a rather straightforward one, despite their narrow victories. They defeated Fulham 1-0 before repeating the scoreline at home to Watford. After this, Saints went to West Brom and came away with a 2-1 win.
Wigan, though, have had to work harder for their place in the last eight. Paul Cook’s side have been in the FA Cup since the first round and have performed magnificently. They beat Crawley and Fylde before pulling off shock wins over Bournemouth and West Ham.
The Latics then secured a famous win over Manchester City in the last round, as Will Grigg’s goal was enough to see off the runaway Premier League leaders.
Hughes has spoken of his affinity with the FA Cup and will be desperate to help his new side into the penultimate round of the tournament. Here’s how, for the first time, we expect Hughes to set his Saints team out.
Alex McCarthy
There’s no reason to drop McCarthy. He should be in between the sticks.
Cedric Soares
Cedric is unlikely to be displaced from the right-back spot. He’ll need to step up after his worst performance in a Southampton shirt at Newcastle last weekend.
Jack Stephens
Maya Yoshida is now fit and it wouldn’t come as a surprise to see him recalled. However, for now at least, I’d expect Hughes to stick with Stephens.
Wesley Hoedt
Hoedt is also unlikely to be removed from the starting line-up, but he’s also at risk of being dropped if he continues to under=perform.
Ryan Bertrand
Hughes will want senior heads at the back and Bertrand won’t be dropped.
Oriol Romeu
Romeu is set to be recalled after being dropped at Newcastle last week. Hughes favours physical midfielders and Romeu fits the bill.
Mario Lemina
Lemina had a shocker at Newcastle but it’d be somewhat surprising to see him dropped for this game. He’s still Saints’ best player and hopefully Hughes will acknowledge his importance.
Nathan Redmond
Redmond hasn’t flourished this season but will be desperate to show Hughes, who tried to sign him on a few occasions, what he’s made of. I can see him being given the nod.
Dusan Tadic
Tadic was woeful at Newcastle and doesn’t really deserve to start. However, Hughes will want to see his side creating chances and he could give the Serbian international the nod.
For the attacking midfield berths, it’s anyone’s guess. It’ll be extremely interesting to see how Hughes sets his attack up.
Sofiane Boufal
Hughes tends to favour wide players with pace and the ability to beat a man, so Boufal could be called upon. He’s been largely overlooked this season but this game is a good chance for him to pick up some momentum.
Manolo Gabbiadini
Again, it’s difficult to pin-point who’ll lead the line for Saints, and whether or not they’ll play 4-2-3-1.
However, I can see Hughes giving Gabbiadini a go. He is a known admirer of Shane Long and has been known to favour a tall striker such as Guido Carrillo, but Gabbiadini will relish the opportunity to shine in a match like this.