After leaving their hosts behind in the Premier League's winless club, Southampton can build up a four-point lead over Wolverhampton Wanderers in Saturday's basement battle at Molineux.
Russell Martin's men made it 10th time lucky in the 2024-25 season by edging out Everton 1-0 last weekend, while Wolves played out a four-goal thriller with Crystal Palace.
Match preview
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For a full five minutes last weekend, Wolves were on track to finally earn their first three-point haul of the campaign against Crystal Palace, who saw their one-goal lead wiped out by quickfire Jorgen Strand Larsen and Joao Gomes efforts.
However, at the end of a mad-cap 17-minute spell, Eagles defender Marc Guehi followed in the footsteps of his rearguard colleague Trevoh Chalobah by capitalising on Wolves' shoddy set-piece defending and dramatically drawing the visitors level.
Oliver Glasner's men also had the ball in the back of the net for a third time right at the death, but Daniel Munoz's foul on Jose Sa was a saving grace for Wolves, not that a draw is much different to a defeat for a fanbase growing increasingly desperate for an elusive win.
Still rooted to the foot of the Premier League table with just three points accrued from a possible 30, Wolves continue to stick by under-fire manager Gary O'Neil, whose own supporters briefly turned on him last weekend for what they perceived to be clueless substitutions.
O'Neil's changes very nearly led to maximum reward, but Palace's late leveller means that the hosts have conceded at least two goals in each of their last eight matches, and not since the 1983-84 season have they suffered a longer run without a win at the start of a campaign; they finished last and were relegated that year.
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As Wolves were left to lament their set-piece vulnerabilities in gameweek 10, spirits were high at St Mary's in Southampton, where Martin's men kept Everton at arm's length before delivering an Adam Armstrong-sized sucker punch late on.
After Aaron Ramsdale had kept the Saints level with some top-class saves, Martin's side charged down the other end of the field and had lift-off when Armstrong coolly finished first-time from Yukinari Sugawara's cross, but they then had to survive a massive scare when Beto made the net ripple at the other end.
The offside flag did not go up a first, but a VAR intervention showed that the Toffees striker had indeed gone early - cue thousands of sighs of relief on the South Coast as Southampton ended their excruciating wait for a first Premier League win since March 2023.
The Saints had gone 22 top-flight games without success before downing Everton, although they remain in deep danger in 19th place, just one point better off than upcoming hosts Wolves and three adrift of Palace - who boast a significantly superior goal difference - in 17th.
Next on Martin's agenda is snapping a horrendous eight-game Premier League losing run for Southampton on the road - only Brentford have also taken zero points away from home so far this term - and the Saints have coincidentally lost each of their last five matches against Wolves since a 2-0 FA Cup last-16 win in 2021.
Team News
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There was no change to Wolves' injury situation last weekend, as the long-term quartet of Sasa Kalajdzic (knee), Enso Gonzalez (knee), Boubacar Traore (knee) and Yerson Mosquera (knee) remain absent for this one too, but Bastien Meupiyou is being put through his paces in training.
Hwang Hee-chan (ankle) is also facing an uphill struggle to come back before the international break, and even though Sam Johnstone (groin) has been training for the past couple of weeks, he is yet to return to the matchday squad due to illness.
Sa's place in between the posts may therefore be safe for the time being, but there should be a recall to the engine room for Mario Lemina, who was only a second-half substitute versus Palace after coming back from a calf problem.
As far as Southampton are concerned, Martin confirmed after the win over Everton that Adam Lallana's half-time withdrawal was injury-related; the veteran playmaker tweaked his groin, but there was no update on his condition on Friday.
Ryan Fraser is also on the touch-and-go list with an illness, while Gavin Bazunu (Achilles), Will Smallbone (thigh) and Ross Stewart (calf) are all guaranteed to miss the trip to Molineux.
Lallana's possible absence should open the door for Joe Aribo to return, while the promising Tyler Dibling is a candidate to replace Cameron Archer, but the 18-year-old is one booking away from a ban.
Wolverhampton Wanderers possible starting lineup:
Sa; Toti, Bueno, Dawson; Semedo, Doyle, Lemina, Ait-Nouri; Gomes, Cunha; Strand Larsen
Southampton possible starting lineup:
Ramsdale; Bednarek, Harwood-Bellis, Stephens; Sugawara, Downes, Fernandes, Walker-Peters; Aribo, Dibling; Armstrong
We say: Wolverhampton Wanderers 2-1 Southampton
The mood in the Southampton dressing room may be the most buoyant it has been all season, but the Saints are now pitting their wits against a Wolves side who never have any problems in the final third; the hosts are on an 11-game scoring streak across all competitions.
As the visitors lack the genuine firepower necessary to take advantage of the hosts' defensive failings, we can envisage O'Neil's men finally following in their visitors' footsteps from last weekend and earning their first league win of the season.
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Ben Knapton
