Two teams in impressive form will lock horns in the Premier League on Saturday afternoon, as Wolverhampton Wanderers welcome Southampton to Molineux.
Wolves are currently eighth in the table, boasting 28 points from their 19 league matches this season, while Southampton occupy 11th spot, four points behind their opponents this weekend.
Match preview
© Reuters
Wolves struggled for results in the early stages of the season but have been quietly picking up points for some time now, with Bruno Lage's side currently eighth in the table, just three points behind seventh-placed Manchester United, so they could also be considered to be in the top-four race.
The 2017-18 Championship winners have picked up seven points from their last three league games, winning at Brighton & Hove Albion and Man United, in addition to sharing the points at home to Chelsea.
Wolves also progressed to the fourth round of the FA Cup on Sunday courtesy of a 3-0 success over Sheffield United, with Lage's side set to face Norwich City in the next round at the start of February.
The home side have won their last two Premier League matches against Southampton, including a 1-0 success at St Mary's earlier this season, with Raul Jimenez netting the only goal of the game.
Wolves finished a disappointing 13th in the Premier League last season, but Lage has made a big impression at the helm this season, and another victory on Saturday would boost their European hopes.
© Reuters
Southampton, meanwhile, will enter the contest off the back of a 4-1 victory over Brentford on Tuesday evening, which moved them up into 11th position in the Premier League table.
The Saints have had their issues this season but are now 13 points clear of the relegation zone and only four points behind eighth-placed Wolves, so Saturday's contest is a huge fixture for both sides.
Ralph Hasenhuttl's side are actually unbeaten in their last five matches in all competitions, drawing with Crystal Palace and Tottenham Hotspur in the league, in addition to beating West Ham and Brentford, while they were 3-2 winners over Swansea City in the FA Cup on January 8.
Southampton are entering a tough run of matches in the league, though, with their three after this one against Manchester City, Tottenham and Man United.
The Saints have found it difficult to show consistency on their travels this term, picking up just nine points from their 10 matches, but they did beat Wolves at Molineux in the FA Cup last season.
- D
- L
- L
- W
- D
- W
- L
- L
- W
- D
- W
- W
- D
- L
- D
- W
- D
- W
- L
- D
- W
- D
- W
- W
Team News
© Reuters
Wolves will be missing Yerson Mosquera, Pedro Neto, Jonny Castro and Hwang Hee-Chan this weekend through injury, while Willy Boly and Romain Saiss are in action at the Africa Cup of Nations.
Adama Traore continues to be linked with a move away from Molineux and is therefore unlikely to be considered for a start in the final third, with Daniel Podence and Trincao set to line up alongside Jimenez.
Ruben Neves and Joao Moutinho are both in impressive form in midfield, while Saiss's absence at the back could open the door for Leander Dendoncker to feature in a three-man defence.
As for Southampton, Valentino Livramento and William Smallbone will miss the contest through injury, while Kyle Walker-Peters remains a doubt due to COVID-19.
Moussa Djenepo is unavailable due to his involvement in the Africa Cup of Nations, while Alex McCarthy remains a doubt due to a thigh problem, but Armando Broja should overcome a head injury to start.
Che Adams scored off the bench against Brentford last time out and could now come in for a start in the final third, but Hasenhuttl is again expected to stick with a 3-5-2 formation.
Wolverhampton Wanderers possible starting lineup:
Sa; Dendoncker, Coady, Kilman; Semedo, Neves, Moutinho, Marcal; Podence, Jimenez, Trincao
Southampton possible starting lineup:
Forster; Bednarek, Lyanco, Salisu; Tella, Diallo, Romeu, Ward-Prowse, Perraud; Adams, Broja
We say: Wolverhampton Wanderers 1-1 Southampton
This is a very difficult match to call, as both sides will enter the contest in good confidence. Wolves will fancy their chances of triumphing on home soil, but Southampton were excellent against Brentford last time out, and we are backing the two sides to share the spoils at Molineux.
Top tip
Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Wolverhampton Wanderers win with a probability of 43.65%. A win for Southampton had a probability of 29.47% and a draw had a probability of 26.9%.
The most likely scoreline for a Wolverhampton Wanderers win was 1-0 with a probability of 11.75%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-1 (8.78%) and 2-0 (8.11%). The likeliest Southampton win was 0-1 (9.23%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (12.73%). The actual scoreline of 3-1 was predicted with a 4% likelihood. Our data analysis correctly predicted that Wolverhampton Wanderers would win this match.
