Southampton – Wolves : Preview & Prediction
His future as manager may be hanging in the balance, but Nathan Jones insists he is still the right man to guide Southampton to Premier League (PL) survival this season. The Welshman came out fighting after a resounding 3-0 defeat last week to Brentford, which left his side bottom of the table, and insisted that “there weren’t many better than me in Europe” when he was appointed as Ralph Hasenhüttl’s replacement in November.
Not for the first time, the “Saints” were booed by the visiting fans who traveled to the Brentford Community Stadium as Jones suffered a sixth defeat in seven league games in charge (G1). Worryingly, Southampton failed to score the opening goal in any of those appearances, while their total of 15 points from 21 games is the lowest at this stage of any season since 2004/05, when they were relegated to the Championship.
The visit of Wolves will not improve the mood on the south coast either, given that the Midlands side have won each of the last four meetings between the two sides, as well as winning on their last three visits to St Mary’s. Wolverhampton should also be brimming with confidence at the moment after thrashing Liverpool 3-0 last weekend, although they still need to improve their away form after accumulating just six points from their away games this season.
That victory left Julen Lopetegui’s side two points clear of the relegation zone, but only five above Southampton, so they know they will be dragged back into trouble with a defeat in this fixture. Lopetegui has already warned his team that they need to adopt “a great mentality” to avoid relegation, something he seems to have instilled quite well since arriving at Molineux in November, having won three of their six league games in charge (E1, P2).
Players to watch: Saints forward Ché Adams has been on the winning side in 15 of the 22 games in which he has found the back of the net in the PL (E3, P4), including two this season (P1). He hopes to surpass Daniel Podence, who has scored first or last in 10 of his 14 scoring appearances for Wolves, including the winning goal against Southampton in September.
Key stat: Southampton has the PL’s worst home record this season, taking just six of a possible 30 points (G1, E3, P7).
Southampton – Wolves : Betting Tips
BTS/YES Odds: 2.25
