Southampton will be looking to put their Premier League struggles behind them when they come face to face with Chelsea at Wembley on Sunday.
The Saints have reached the FA Cup semi-finals after a relatively straightforward run. Wins over Fulham, Watford, West Brom and Wigan have seen them secure their spot in the final four of the competition.
Chelsea, too, have progressed to the semi’s rather comprehensively. Along the way, they’ve won matches against Norwich, Newcastle, Hull, and most recently Leicester after extra-time.
Mark Hughes’ sole focus will undoubtedly remain keeping Southampton in the Premier League. However, the FA Cup clash is sure to be a welcome distraction after a difficult period in the top flight. The Saints boss has hinted at rotating his team selection after naming an unchanged team at Leicester on Thursday.
Tens of thousands of Southampton fans will be at Wembley to get behind the team as they aim to spring a surprise and reach the final of the FA Cup.
Here’s how we reckon Saints will line up against Chelsea on Sunday.
Alex McCarthy
McCarthy has played well for Saints this season and doesn’t deserve to be displaced by Fraser Forster.
Cedric Soares
Jeremy Pied hasn’t had a look-in since Hughes’ arrival and it seems like Cedric will be favoured on the right-hand side of defence.
Jan Bednarek
Bednarek has arguably been one of Saints’ better players in the last couple of games and I expect he’ll keep his place.
Maya Yoshida
With Saints short of defensive options in the middle, Yoshida’s likely to start.
Wesley Hoedt
Although Hughes hinted at rotation, I can’t see him deserting the five at the back formation for this game. Therefore, Hoedt starts.
Ryan Bertrand
Bertrand is likely to start against his old club and will play on the left.
Steven Davis
It feels as though Hughes has been itching to bring Davis back into the fold and he may well do that against Chelsea.
Oriol Romeu
Romeu had a shocker at Leicester but with Mario Lemina seemingly not a favourable option for Hughes, he’s likely to be used to provide some steel in the middle.
Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg
Hojbjerg has had a good season for Saints and it would be criminal to drop him in this game.
Dusan Tadic
Tadic has started in each of Hughes’ games at Southampton and that’s not likely to change at Wembley.
Shane Long
Long has the led the line for Saints in the last three games and despite a poor showing at Leicester, he’s set to retain his place ahead of Charlie Austin.