Summary Southampton comfortably beat Rotherham United 2-0 to move up to second place in the Championship. Southampton may rest certain players for their FA Cup replay against Watford to manage their busy league schedule. Several players, including Joe Lumley and Jayden Meghoma, could start for Southampton in the FA Cup match.
Southampton powered on to yet another win in the Championship win last match away at lowly Rotherham United, comfortably beating the basement side 2-0 to move back up to second spot in the division.
Leeds United had momentarily unsettled the status quo in the automatic promotion places with a win away at Bristol City, but Russell Martin's Saints were calm and measured versus the Millers and strolled to their 18th win of the season to date regardless of any outside pressure.
It's a break from the grind of the second tier this mid-week for the high-flying Saints however, playing against fellow Championship side Watford in an FA Cup replay.
This could well be a good opportunity for Martin to rest certain individuals with fixtures coming thick and fast in the league away from this one-off tie, with Stuart Armstrong dropping out in four potential changes…
1 GK – Joe Lumley
Gavin Bazunu might well be rested for the FA Cup replay at St Mary's tonight, with Joe Lumley coming back into the team after playing in the 1-1 draw at Vicarage Road last month.
The former Reading goalkeeper is a competent backup Martin can rely on, with the 28-year-old making three saves in total in the Watford draw to help the Saints seal a replay late on via a last-gasp Stuart Armstrong goal.
2 RB – Kyle Walker-Peters
Martin might well not have the same luxury afforded to him in resting Kyle Walker-Peters however, having started Mason Holgate in this spot in the tie at Vicarage Road.
But, the now former Southampton number six ended up being recalled to Everton on Deadline Day to move elsewhere and so Walker-Peters could be retained for the FA Cup clash tonight.
The 26-year-old was solid enough in the straightforward Rotherham win last time out, not having to overly exert himself to help his side pick up a routine three points.
3 CB – Taylor Harwood-Bellis
Lethargy potentially setting in won't be an issue for Taylor Harwood-Bellis, the 22-year-old loving life on loan at the Saints at the moment.
Only missing two games all season long in all competitions, Martin won't be hesitant in the slightest at keeping the Manchester City loanee in his starting eleven tonight.
4 CB – Jan Bednarek
Martin will be a little wary at the prospect of overplaying Harwood-Bellis' centre-back partner in Jan Bednarek however, resting his Polish defender in the original tie away at Watford.
Yet, Bednarek's early headed goal in the Rotherham clash at the weekend could mean he's kept in the side after such an impactful display – the 27-year-old a standout performer at the New York Stadium.
Amassing a ridiculous 135 touches of the ball versus the relegation-threatened Millers, Bednarek's soothing presence on the pitch could see Southampton sail into the next round of the FA Cup with ease.
5 LB – Jayden Meghoma
Jayden Meghoma will be clamouring for another senior start at left-back, with Martin willing to give the young Saints prodigy another go versus Watford after gifting him a start in the previous Cup match.
It would be a great learning curve for the 17-year-old to play alongside the likes of Bednarek and Walker-Peters, with the teenager impressing versus the Hornets last month by amassing two key passes when playing out from defence.
6 CM – Will Smallbone
Will Smallbone could well be retained for tonight's game under the St Mary's floodlights, the 23-year-old putting in another solid display from the centre of the park against Leam Richardson's Millers last match.
Smallbone was involved in the thick of the action throughout the game, missing one big chance in the one-sided affair whilst also constantly creating chances for his teammates at the New York Stadium with two key passes notched up.
7 CM – Flynn Downes
West Ham United loanee Flynn Downes will also stay in Martin's first-team plans tonight, despite having a quiet afternoon in truth against Rotherham.
Downes wasn't quite at his measured best on the ball – coming in at an 85% passing accuracy when his average for the season is usually higher at 94% – but his other performances this campaign means Martin is unlikely to axe him off the back of one sub-par showing.
The silky 25-year-old was at his best in the game just before the Rotherham away day, bagging a rare goal against his former club Swansea City on the way to the high-flying Saints securing a classy 3-1 victory after dominating.
8 CM – Joe Rothwell
Stuart Armstrong could be the only casualty from the central midfield trio for tonight's game against the Hornets therefore, with January purchase Joe Rothwell coming in to fill in for the absent Scotsman.
Armstrong was uncharacteristically poor on the ball versus Rotherham, giving away possession 23 times in South Yorkshire.
As a direct consequence, Martin could see this game with Watford as grounds to give Armstrong a breather and to utilise Rothwell instead.
The AFC Bournemouth loanee – who was once described as a "super talent" by one of his former managers in Tony Mowbray when the pair were at Blackburn Rovers – stood out in the 1-1 draw at Vicarage Road when selected, only giving the ball up four times before being hauled off just shy of the hour mark.
9 RW – Adam Armstrong
Adam Armstrong being selected at right wing might raise a few eyebrows from an outsider's perspective, but it's a spot the lethal attacker has made his own in recent weeks for the Championship promotion hopefuls.
It's seen Armstrong become an assist machine as well as a goalscoring hero, showcased in the Saints beating Sheffield Wednesday 4-0 in the middle of January.
The former Newcastle United man helped himself to a solitary goal in the emphatic win as expected, but also set his teammates up to get in on the act with him by registering two assists.
10 ST – Che Adams
This clever masterstroke has allowed Martin the freedom to play both Armstrong and Che Adams in the same lineup, a terrifying attacking combination for second-tier defences to attempt to thwart.
Onto nine goals for the season from 25 appearances, Adams will hope to get to double digits by scoring against Watford tonight.