Southampton face West Bromwich Albion in the fifth round of the FA Cup at the Hawthorns on Saturday, and given the current predicament they find themselves in in the Premier League, under-fire manager Mauricio Pellegrino may see it as the perfect opportunity to make a few changes to his starting XI.

While the south coast outfit will want to progress to the latter stages of the prestigious competition and gain some much-needed confidence, they could probably do without the fixture in all honesty given they dropped back into the relegation zone in the top flight following the 2-0 defeat against Liverpool at St Mary's on Sunday.

Saints have 11 Premier League matches left to save themselves and they have five huge fixtures – against Burnley, Stoke City, Newcastle United, Swansea City and West Ham United – to come following the clash in the west Midlands, and given they have only won once since November they face a tough task to pick up the points they need.

With his team not exactly firing in goal and with some of his key men likely to be rested against Alan Pardew's side in order to keep them fresh for the upcoming games, Pellegrino may look to some of the club's youth players to provide some inspiration this weekend.

Here are two Saints youngsters the Argentine boss must bring into the starting XI vs West Brom…

Josh Sims

The winger burst on to the scene when he made his Premier League debut for the club against Everton at St Mary's in November 2016, and assisted Charlie Austin in the first minute of the match.

The attacker stayed in and around the first team for the following couple of months – making 13 appearances – and it was his brilliant run and pass that saw Shane Long send Southampton to Wembley, as they beat Liverpool 1-0 at Anfield in the second leg of their League Cup semi-final tie last February.

However, he then picked up an injury that kept him on the sidelines until December, but he has now returned and is playing regularly for the U23 side, while he came on as a late substitute in the 2-2 draw against Watford at Vicarage Road last month.

Given Saints' wide players and attacking midfielders like Dusan Tadic and Sofiane Boufal aren't exactly excelling right now, Sims deserves a chance in the side and his pace and directness could prove to be key not only against West Brom, but also in the hugely imporatnt upcoming fixtures.

Jake Hesketh

The attacking midfielder made his Southampton debut as a substitute for Dusan Tadic against Manchester United back in December 2014 when he was just 18 years of age, and he went on to get his first start against Burnley in the south coast outfit's next match.

He didn't feature for the first team again until September 2016, when he scored in the 2-0 win against Crystal Palace in the League Cup at St Mary's – Saints of course went on to reach the final of the competition.

Like Sims, Hesketh is another that suffered from injury in 2017 but he has been a regular for the U23 side this season and he should be in contention to be part of the 18-man squad against West Brom.

Given the fact that Tadic is struggling for form in the central attacking midfield role right now, Pellegrino should look to give the 21-year-old his opportunity to shine, as he could still play an important part in the club's important Premier League run-in if he impresses at the Hawthorns.

Who do you want to see, Saints fans? Let us know below.