Pellegrino demands total focus on league challenge from his Saints stars

Mauricio Pellegrino has warned his Southampton side against allowing dreams of reaching an FA Cup semi-final at Wembley to distract them from the pursuit of Premier League survival.

The Saints head to Burnley on Saturday having secured their cup quarter-final place with a 2-1 win at West Brom last weekend.

Following the draw for the last eight, Southampton had looked set for a trip to Manchester City in March – only for the Premier League leaders to then be knocked out by Sky Bet League One club Wigan on Monday night.

However, Pellegrino knows his team, who boast only one league win since the end of November, still have plenty of hard work to do to haul themselves clear of the drop zone.

“This (City’s defeat) was an unpredictable result for everybody but for this reason football is amazing. When you play 11 against 11, then everything can happen,” Pellegrino told Saints’ website.

“In tennis, when it is the number one against the number 100, it is almost impossible to beat the number one.

“In football, it is possible – this is the best thing that football has got.

“When one team from League One plays with a Premier League team, the fans believe they can beat the Premier League team – and it is true.

“Maybe the chances are smaller, but you have got your chances. When you make the most of them and when Wigan play like they did the other night, everything is possible.”

Before their FA Cup quarter-final tie, Southampton also face key Premier League matches against fellow survival battlers, hosting Stoke and then visiting Newcastle on March 10.

Pellegrino wants his team to seize the day, saying: “For sure it is an amazing challenge for us and an amazing opportunity.

“We know the different aspects (of the fixtures), but we have to be fully focused on this game (against Burnley) and after we will see.”

While midfielder Sofiane Boufal could be back in contention for the trip to Turf Moor, Pellegrino expects defender Maya Yoshida to be sidelined for at least a month with a knee problem.

The Japan international was injured during the final training session ahead of last weekend’s FA Cup game, along with Boufal and Steven Davis, who is also expected to need a bit more recovery time.

“This is part of our job,” said Pellegrino.

“When you have a squad of 22, 23 or 24 players, you need them to be ready when you have something unexpected, like injured players.”