Hugo: “We have expectations in the FA Cup”

Hugo Lloris is back - and targeting a positive performance against Southampton in the FA Cup on Saturday (3pm).

Club captain Hugo returned to action in our midweek win against Norwich City after over three months sidelined with a dislocated elbow sustained against Brighton in October.

Hugo returns as we start to hit the ‘business end’ of the season. Saturday’s fourth round tie at St Mary’s is followed by Manchester City at the new stadium in the Premier League, where we’ve 14 games remaining, and the Champions League returns with our Round of 16 first leg against RB Leipzig next month.

Wednesday night’s hard-fought victory against the Canaries made it three matches unbeaten, including our FA Cup replay win against Middlesbrough, and it’s that consistency Hugo is looking to build on.

“Every game is hard, every game is a battle,” said Hugo. “Just look at Burnley at Old Trafford this week. That’s the Premier League. Things can change so quickly. The process to get fully confident is very long but to lose it is so easy.

“Now, it’s about getting positive results in a row, and consistency is the key. We also have the Champions League and now the FA Cup to fight for.

“This is an important game for us in the FA Cup. We have expectations in this competition. We know we’re not in our best form away from home and Southampton are in form, so it’s in our mind to put in the right effort and energy.”

Hugo spoke about his return to action earlier this week – as he told us then and below, he’s always looking ahead.

He added: “I’m the type of person who will always look forward and for me, there is always a way to improve. I’m glad to be back and the most difficult thing is ahead of me, to reach my level and to help the team, so it’s step by step, game by game.”