It's only early November but it's no exaggeration to brand this clash between Wolverhampton Wanderers and Southampton a relegation six-pointer as the bottom two in the Premier League collide at Molineux.
It's Wolves who sit at the foot of the pile after failing to win any of their 10 league games so far but Gary O'Neil's men are still just fourth in the betting for relegation and can be backed at a pretty generous price of 6/4.
Saints remain red-hot favourites to make an instant return to the Championship, despite showing signs of life in recent weeks with a narrow defeat at the Etihad followed by an EFL Cup victory over Stoke City and a 1-0 home win over Everton.
Wolverhampton Wanderers have also been showing signs of improvement in recent weeks, with their own narrow loss to Manchester City followed up by successive 2-2 draws with Brighton and Crystal Palace.
Both Saints and Wolves have stuck by their managers during disappointing starts but a loss in this game could have grave consequences, with Martin leading the betting for next Premier League manager to be sacked and O'Neil third in the same market.
How the bookies view it: Wolves in for the kill
Despite sitting below Southampton in the table, it's Wolves who are odds-on favourites for this one at 37/40 with Betano. Saints are 5/2 outsiders and the draw pays 27/10.
Recent head to head: Game's a bogey for Saints
Southampton have a terrible record in this fixture and have won just twice in their last 16 meetings with Wolves. When they last faced off in the Premier League two seasons ago, Saints lost 1-0 at Molineux then 2-1 at St Mary's.
Players to watch: Ray of light
Rayan Ait-Nouri's raids from left-back have been one of the few bright spots for Wolves this season and the Algerian has already chipped in with three goals. That makes him a decent long-odds option for anytime scorer at 5/1 with Unibet while Bet365 price him at 2/1 to either score or assist.
Cameron Archer looks Southampton's best bet for a crucial goal, with the striker netting four times already this season. He's 10/3 at Bet365 for anytime scorer and the same firm price him at 2/1 to either score or assist.
Probable line-ups
Wolves have doubts over Sam Johnstone and Bastien Menadjou while Hee-Chan Hwang, Boubacar Traore, Sasa Kalajdzic, Enso Gonzalez and Yerson Mosquera remain out.
Experienced duo Ryan Fraser and Adam Lallana are doubtful for Saints, who are still missing Will Smallbone, Ross Stewart and Gavin Bazunu.
Wolverhampton Wanderers: Sa, Bueno, Dawson, T Gomes, Ait-Nouri, J Gomes, Doyle, Semedo, Strand Larsen, Cunha, Guedes.
Southampton: Ramsdale, Walker-Peters, Manning, Stephens, Harwood-Bellis, Bednarek, Downes, Armstrong, Aribo, Fernandes, Archer.
Anything else catch the eye?
Wolverhampton Wanderers have kept just one clean sheet all season while the only Southampton shut-out came last time out in that win over Everton. That suggests we should see a few goals in this one, even though it could be tense with so much at stake.
Combining over 2.5 goals and BTTS pays 20/21 at Bet365 while backing most goals to come after the break also appeals at 21/20 with Betfred.
Both teams like to play on the front foot so we could see a few offsides with teams breaking quickly after losing the ball. Unibet price over 4.5 offsides at 19/10 and that could be worth a punt.
With so much at stake it could be a busy day for the ref and I like the 6/4 on offer at Bet365 for Saints midfielder Flynn Downes to pick up a card. He will be up against Joao Gomes and the Wolves star is 21/10 for a fifth card this term.
This English Premier League match between Wolverhampton Wanderers and Southampton will be played on Nov 9, 2024 and kick off at 15:00. Check below for our tipsters best Wolverhampton Wanderers vs Southampton prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
