Wolves vs Southampton Preview: Who will put league form behind them?
By Marc Walker
Southampton and Wolves will both be hoping to put their Premier League form behind them on Thursday when they meet in the Fifth-Round of the FA Cup.
Saints make the trip to Molineux after four straight league losses and three wins in their last 12 fixtures in all competitions – two of those in the FA Cup Third and Fourth-Rounds.
Wolves have claimed four wins in their last 12 across all competitions and sit just two points behind Saints in the Premier League table at the moment.
Both will be wanting a strong run in the FA Cup to sort otherwise inconsistent seasons and help transform league form in the second half of 2020/21.
Team news
Saints look set to welcome back Kyle Walker-Peters and Mohammed Salisu, with both ready to start the game on Thursday. Salisu will be making his first appearance for the club if he plays a part.
Stuart Armstrong and Ibrahima Diallo may be nearing a return to action soon, but Theo Walcott’s hamstring injury will keep him out for the longer term. Michael Obafemi and Will Smallbone are recovering from surgery and an ACL injury respectively, whilst Alex Jankewitz continues to serve his suspension.
Wolves will have Rayan Ait-Nouri back in their squad to host Saints but will be without Willy Boly and Daniel Podence despite both making progress in their return from injury. Fernando Marcal remains unavailable, whilst Nuno Espirito Santo has emphasised the importance of managing Jonny Otto’s return to action.
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Why Saints could win
Despite having important players back at the weekend, Saints struggled against Newcastle. The Magpies found joy down the right side of a defence missing Kyle Walker-Peters.
It cannot be underestimated how having the 23-year-old back will help Saints in the upcoming games. His energy in attack and defence makes him a key player in Ralph Hasenhuttl’s setup and it will be vital to have the overall balance he provides back in the backline.
Hasenhuttl could field a full strength starting 11 tomorrow and he will be hoping this helps his team get back to what they were doing so well at the start of 2020/21.
Why Wolves will win
Wolves have had a lot of joy against Saints in the past because their tactical setup often directly counteracts the style they are facing.
Nuno Espirito Santo has mainly used systems that utilise three or five at the back structures since his arrival at Molineux back in 2017. His tactics give even coverage across the pitch and allow is players to spring on dangerous counter-attacks when they win the ball back.
The Portuguese has experimented with systems like 4-3-3 and 4-2-3-1 this season – potentially due to the unavailability of some crucial players – but has largely been unsuccessful with these and has reverted back to 3-4-3 in three of the last four games.
Predicted line-ups
Wolves
Ruddy; Dendoncker, Coady, Saiss; Semedo, Neves, Moutinho, Ait-Nouri; Traore, Fabio Silva, Gibbs-White
Saints
Forster; Walker-Peters, Stephens, Salisu, Bertrand; Ward-Prowse, Romeu; Djenepo, Redmond; Ings, N’Lundulu
Predicted score
Wolves 1-2 Saints
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