Southampton play host to Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday afternoon with the opportunity to move level on points with their opponents in the Premier League standings.

Meanwhile, Nuno Espirito Santo's side make the trip to St Mary's having failed to win any of their last five matches in all competitions.

Match preview

A few weeks ago, Ralph Hasenhuttl may have started to fear that he would lose his job at Southampton, despite the club's hierarchy sticking by him in the aftermath of the 9-0 drubbing by Leicester City.

However, the Saints board have been rewarded for showing faith in the Austrian with a run of results which even Hasenhuttl would not have envisaged before the Christmas period.

Thirteen points have been recorded from their last five outings in the Premier League, which include wins over Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur and Leicester for the loss of just one goal.

The remarkable turnaround has put Southampton in a position where they can now move level on points with Saturday's opponents, who are beginning to look jaded after their exhausting schedule since the back end of July.

Given their comeback victory at the King Power Stadium last weekend, there are no concerns over any complacency, and that spells trouble for Wolves as they find themselves on the back foot.

While Nuno has understandably stressed the need for fresh faces at Molineux, there is an argument that the Portuguese has not rotated enough during the first half of the campaign, leaving his players desperate for the brief winter break which is just around the corner.

Having to contend with games against Manchester City, Liverpool and a rejuvenated Watford in less than a week did not help matters, although Nuno opted to keep faith with his tried-and-tested team.

Since netting three times in the same half against City, Wolves have scored just twice in five matches in all competitions, which is not ideal ahead of meetings with a resolute Southampton side and league leaders Liverpool.

Nevertheless, despite inevitably going into this game still feeling the effects of Wednesday's FA Cup defeat at Manchester United, this close-knit squad has shown in the past that they are capable of raising the game when their backs are against the wall.

Southampton Premier League form form: LWWDWW
Southampton form (all competitions): WWDWWW

Wolverhampton Wanderers Premier League form: LWWLLD
Wolverhampton Wanderers form (all competitions): WLLDDL

Team News

Despite their recent workload, it would come as a surprise if Nuno makes any unforced alterations to his starting lineup this weekend.

Should the Portuguese decide on fresh faces, Max Kilman could be brought into the backline, giving Romain Saiss the chance to move into midfield.

Nuno also has the option of a change in system, potentially playing with three central midfielders and using either Adama Traore or Pedro Neto with Raul Jimenez in attack.

Diogo Jota is expected to miss out through injury, while Willy Boly is still weeks away from returning from a broken ankle.

As for Southampton, Hasenhuttl could stick with the same team which performed so well against Leicester in the East Midlands.

Having set up the winner, Che Adams is pushing for a recall ahead of Shane Long.

Southampton possible starting lineup:
McCarthy; Soares, Stephens, Bednarek, Bertrand; Armstrong, Ward-Prowse, Hojbjerg, Redmond; Ings, Long

Wolverhampton Wanderers possible starting lineup:
Patricio; Dendoncker, Coady, Saiss; Doherty, Moutinho, Neves, Jonny; Traore, Jimenez, Neto

We say: Southampton 2-0 Wolverhampton Wanderers

Given the respective momentum of the two clubs, this feels like an easy one to call. While Wolves will be desperate to get back on track as soon as possible, they may struggle to deal with a Southampton side who are now playing with a swagger.