Southampton boss Mauricio Pellegrino has suggested that he will use the FA Cup fifth-round clash with West Bromwich Albion to hand more playing time to the fringe members of his squad.
The Saints find themselves in the bottom three of the Premier League table, despite an improved run of form since the start of 2018.
Pellegrino has said that he is keen to progress through to the quarter-finals of the FA Cup, but the Argentine has hinted that he sees the meeting with the Baggies as an opportunity to give first-team action to players who has spent time on the sidelines in recent weeks.
At a press conference, the 46-year-old told reporters: "Yes for sure, for many reasons. We want to move forward to the next round and we want it to help us to move to improve the team.
"It can help us to introduce some players who haven't played too much recently and we can prepare much better for the future. It can help us to believe more in our improvements since January."
Southampton have defeated Fulham and Watford to reach the last 16 of the competition.
Darren Plant
