In-form Wolverhampton Wanderers will be looking to make it five wins in a row across all competitions when they welcome struggling Southampton to Molineux on Saturday afternoon.
After a slow start to the season, Nuno Espirito Santo's side have risen up to 11th in the Premier League table, whereas Southampton go into the game sitting just one place above the relegation zone.
Match preview
© Reuters
What a difference a couple of results make.
Less than a month ago Nuno's side were still searching for their first league victory of the season and sat 19th in the table following a seven-game winless streak in the top flight.
Beating Watford in a battle between the league's two winless teams finally got them off the mark in the Premier League for 2019-20, but much better was to come eight days later as they pulled off a major shock by beating champions Manchester City 2-0 at the Etihad Stadium - a smash-and-grab result but one which catapulted them up to 11th and showcased the type of football which made them so impressive last term.
The challenge now will be to follow that up in a match they are favourites for - something which they did not always manage to do during the 2018-19 campaign.
Indeed, Wolves could win three successive top-flight games while keeping clean sheets in all of those victories for the first time since February 1980, while in all competitions they could win five games on the bounce for the first time since December 2017.
Nuno's side have also only lost one of their last 12 Premier League home games stretching back to January 2, although Southampton can counteract that with an impressive away run themselves - four wins from their last five matches on the road across all competitions.
© Reuters
Indeed, no Premier League team has kept more away clean sheets than Southampton's four from six outings this term, already just two short of their tally from 23 away games throughout the whole of last season.
The main problems for Southampton have come at St Mary's, with a league-high proportion of their points coming on their travels - six of their seven from the opening eight games.
The Saints will be dreaming of emulating Wolves by winning at Man City in their next away league game after this weekend, while a trip to the Emirates follows after that, so an improvement in their home form will likely be needed if they are to stay afloat above the relegation zone over the coming weeks.
Only their number of goals scored is keeping them out of the bottom three ahead of Everton as things stand, but their average of one goal per game is not exactly fearsome and only the bottom two have a worse defensive record too.
Ralph Hasenhuttl will certainly be expecting a response from the four goals shipped at home to Chelsea in their last encounter before the international break, but they will need to upset the odds if they are to avoid losing four consecutive league games for the first time since April 2018.
Wolves Premier League form: DLLDWW
Wolves form (all competitions): LDWWWW
Southampton Premier League form: WDWLLL
Southampton form (all competitions): DWLWLL
Team News
© Reuters
Wolves could welcome Diogo Jota back from a foot injury for this match, although whether he makes it back into the starting lineup following the Etihad heroics remains to be seen.
Patrick Cutrone led the line alongside Raul Jimenez in that one and will be hopeful of keeping his spot, although Adama Traore outlined his credentials as a forward rather than a wing-back with his late brace.
The speedster had only scored once in his previous 72 Premier League games before his double against the champions, and he is likely to play further forward as Nuno opts for a more attacking starting lineup than at the Etihad.
Matt Doherty could be recalled at wing-back, but Morgan Gibbs-White, Romain Saiss and Pedro Neto remain injury doubts for Saturday's hosts.
Southampton, meanwhile, are still without Moussa Djenepo despite the summer arrival stepping up his recovery, while Cedric Soares is also expected to be sidelined until the early stages of next month.
Danny Ings is once again expected to start up front, having scored four goals in his last three games across all competitions - never before in English football has he netted in four consecutive outings.
Wolves possible starting lineup:
Patricio; Boly, Coady, Bennett; Doherty, Neves, Moutinho, Jonny; Traore, Jimenez, Cutrone
Southampton possible starting lineup:
Gunn; Valery, Bednarek, Vestergaard, Bertrand; Ward-Prowse, Romeu, Hojbjerg; Redmond, Ings, Long
We say: Wolves 2-1 Southampton
Wolves seem to be back on form after a slow start to the season and, even accounting for the international break, they should be full of confidence after beating Man City last time out. Southampton, by contrast, come into the game in poor form and it is tough to see that improving soon with a difficult run of games coming up.
No Data Analysis info
