Prediction: Southampton vs Wolves

Prediction: Wolves win

Best Odds: 2/1

Bookmaker: bet365

It’s time for us to get down to the nitty-gritty, ladies and gentlemen. There are just a handful of games remaining in the Premier League, and that means one thing: desperation football. A plethora of teams are going to be throwing everything against the wall in the hope of something sticking, which is exactly what we’re expecting to see at St Mary’s. Southampton will be going up against Wolverhampton Wanderers, with both teams harbouring very different ambitions at this stage of the campaign.

Southampton

Despite being on the verge of the relegation zone, Southampton aren’t really considered to be viable contenders for the drop. They seem to have way more momentum than their nearest rivals Cardiff, and given the talent they’ve got in their squad, it seems okay to suggest that they’re in a decent position in this battle. With that being said they have a tendency to be a little bit complacent, and they simply can’t afford to do that against a team that possesses the kind of quality Wolves do.

Team News

Ings is set to return to the line-up after missing out against Liverpool as a result of his loan agreement with the club, although Lemina and Obafemi are still absent.

Wolves

Wolverhampton Wanderers have had an incredible season up to this point, but there’s no way of getting around it: their loss to Watford at the weekend was a bad one. They had one foot in the FA Cup Final, and they let it slip through their fingers. Alas, as devastating as it may have been, they need to pick themselves back up – because a place in the Europa League is on the line. If they can finish in seventh place and Manchester City can beat Watford at Wembley next month, they’ll have done it.

Team News

Rui Patricio is expected to return to to the starting XI after John Ruddy featured in the FA Cup at Wembley, but there probably won’t be all too many other changes.

Factors to Consider

• In their last meeting back in September, Wolves beat Southampton 2-0.
• Southampton have won three and lost three of their last six games.
• Wolves have won three, drawn one and lost two of their last six games.
• Southampton have scored eight goals and conceded nine in their last six games.
• Wolves have scored nine goals and conceded eight in their last six games.

Conclusion

This is a really interesting game, because both teams seem to play better when they come up against a naturally more talented squad – which is why Southampton should fancy their chances. However, we’ve just got the feeling that Wolves are going to cause them too many issues in the middle of the park. It isn’t going to be a goalfest and the visitors will probably take a while to get going after their disappointing loss at the weekend, but we still think Wolves are going to edge out a 1-0 win.

Prediction: Wolves win

Best Odds: 2/1

Bookmaker: bet365