Southampton will host Wolves at St. Mary’s on Saturday afternoon, desperate to keep their fading survival hopes alive.
Southampton have been in disastrous form throughout the 2024/25 season, and they have lost five of the six league matches ahead of the game vs Wolves on Saturday. The Saints have picked up just two wins in the Premier League all season, and they will be massive underdogs here.
Meanwhile, Wolves are without a win in four of their last five matches in all competitions as well. It remains to be seen whether they can take advantage of Southampton’s vulnerability and grind out a victory here.
The Black Country outfit managed to beat Southampton earlier in the season, and they will be the favourites here. Wolves have picked up six wins against Southampton in the last six meetings, and they will be confident heading into this game.
Wolves have more cutting edge and depth in the final third, and they could cause trouble for a vulnerable Southampton defence. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
Team News & Tactics
Southampton
Southampton will be without James Bree due to a thigh injury, Ross Stewart due to a calf injury, Ryan Fraser due to a calf injury, and Juan Larios is sidelined as well. The home side will shape up in a 3-5-2 formation, with Aaron Ramsdale in goal.
Taylor Harwood-Bellis will start alongside Jan Bednarek and Nathan Wood in the back three. Yukinari Sugawara and Kyle Walker-Peters will start as the wing-backs. They will look to keep things tight at the back and hit Wolves on the break.
As for the midfield unit, Joe Aribo will start alongside Flynn Downes and Lesley Ugochukwu in the middle of the park. They will look to add physicality and defensive cover to the side. Finally, Cameron Archer will start alongside Tyler Dibling in the strike partnership.
Probable Lineup (3-5-2): Ramsdale; Harwood-Bellis, Bednarek, Wood; Sugawara, Aribo, Ugochukwu, Downes, Walker-Peters; Archer, Dibling
Wolves
Wolves will be without Yerson Mosquera, Enso Medina, and Sasa Kalajdzic due to knee injuries. Matheus Cunha is suspended until after the international break.
Wolves are likely to shape up in a 4-4-1-1 formation vs Southampton, with Sam Johnstone in goal. Matt Doherty and Nelson Semedo will start as the full-backs. They will look to contribute at both ends of the pitch. Santiago Bueno and Craig Dawson will pair up at the heart of the defence.
Jean-Ricner Bellegarde and Rayan Ait-Nouri will start in the wide areas, and they will look to protect the full-backs and help out in the attack. Joao Gomes will start alongside Andre in the middle of the park, and they will look to add control and defensive cover to the side.
Pablo Sarabia will start as the attacking midfielder here, with Jorgen Larsen leading the line for Wolves vs Southampton at St. Mary’s on Saturday afternoon.
Probable Lineup (4-4-1-1): Johnstone; Doherty, Bueno, Dawson, Semedo; Bellegarde, Gomes, Andre, Ait Nouri; Sarabia; Larsen
Key Stats
- Southampton have failed to win 36 of their last 38 matches in the Premier League.
- Southampton have conceded at least three goals in eight of their last nine matches in the Premier League.
- 14 goals have been scored in the last six meetings between these two teams.
- Wolves have failed to win four of their last six matches in the Premier League.
- Aaron Ramsdale has conceded 48 goals in 20 Premier League games this season, an average of 2.4 per game. Of all keepers to have played at least 20 times across a full campaign, only Wes Foderingham last season has a higher average (2.6 – 79 in 30 games).
Player to Watch
Rayan Ait-Nouri
The Algerian international has been in impressive form this season, and he will look to continue his impressive run of form. He will look to help out defensively and with his creativity. Ait-Nouri will look to carve out opportunities for his teammates.
The 23-year-old could cause all sorts of problems for the home side from the wide areas and it remains to be seen whether he can help Wolves grind out all three points. The visitors are fighting for survival in the Premier League, and they need their key players to step up and deliver here. Ait-Nouri is our key player to watch out for, and he will need to produce a strong performance here.
Prediction
Southampton 1-2 Wolves
Southampton have been quite disappointing this season, and they are likely to come up short once again. They are completely lacking in form and confidence. Wolves could cause all sorts of problems for them at the back. Southampton have conceded 68 goals in 28 league matches and their poor defensive unit is likely to let them down once again.
Wolves have been quite poor defensively as well, but they have the attacking quality to edge this one. A narrow victory for the away side is on the cards. The Hard Tackle predicts a 2-1 win for Vitor Pereira and his charges.
