SAINTS’ recent success has handed manager Ralph Hasenhuttl a dilemma going into this weekend.

Normally for the St Mary’s club, Premier League safety is paramount and would take precedence over an FA Cup run.

But after the latest round of top-flight fixtures, Saints are now eight points clear of the relegation zone.

This has the potential to create a problem for Hasenhuttl, albeit a good issue to have.

The Austrian is going to have to decide whether he wants to make wholesale changes for their FA Cup fourth-round tie with Tottenham on Saturday.

Saints’ boss did exactly that for the Huddersfield game and, due to them being Championship opposition, his decision paid off.

However, Tottenham under Jose Mourinho will be an entirely different game.

Mourinho’s start to life as Spurs manager hasn’t gone as well as he would’ve liked.

But the former Real Madrid chief is a serial winner and will be desperate to add to his trophy haul by bagging the FA Cup.

What’s more, if Spurs were to knock Saints out and then go on to win the competition, he would instantly be able to claim the upper hand on Mauricio Pochettino.

Pochettino always had it thrown at him that he never won a trophy with Tottenham, despite getting into the top four and reaching a Champions League final.

It’s common for Mourinho to win a competition in his first season at a club.

He’s done this at Porto, Chelsea, Inter Milan, Real Madrid and Manchester United.

Mourinho’s also likely going to dish out some revenge at St Mary’s after Hasenhuttl masterminded a New Year’s Day victory against the White Hart Lane outfit.

But that was a Saints side at full strength.

If Hasenhuttl makes changes on Saturday, you can bet your bottom dollar that Mourinho will be picking a team to go out and win.

So, this is where it turns into a dilemma for the Saints boss.

He has to decide whether he feels as though his side has a big enough cushion above the relegation zone that will enable them to focus on the FA Cup.

It’s no secret that Saints aren’t going to win the Premier League and a run in the cup always creates an excellent atmosphere amongst the supporters.

But when it comes to selecting a starting XI on Saturday, there’s a good chance Hasenhuttl will do something in between making wholesale changes and giving other players a chance to impress.

In order to keep everyone happy behind the scenes, it makes sense for the likes of Oriol Romeu, Che Adams and Angus Gunn to be handed starts.

It could also be worth handing Jake Vokins another opportunity in defence to see how he copes against top-flight opposition. Especially after Hasenhuttl recently said his development has come on leaps and bounds in recent weeks.

Mourinho's arriving with one thing on his mind, so it's on the Saints manager to decide whether he wants to match him.