BBC Sport pundit Mark Lawrenson has suggested that Southampton could be set to suffer a further setback in their FA Cup fifth round tie away at Wolves, with a 2-1 defeat being predicted.
The Saints travel to Molineux on Thursday evening aiming to get their season back on track following a dismal run of form over the last few weeks, having lost their last five Premier League games. A number of injury problems for the likes of Jannik Vestergaard, Kyle Walker-Peters, Oriol Romeu and Ibrahima Diallo have also limited Ralph Hasenhuttl’s options and tested the squad’s depth to breaking point.
Southampton have shipped 12 goals in their previous two matches following the 9-0 defeat at Manchester United last week and a 3-2 loss at struggling Newcastle United on Saturday. The Saints did manage to secure a 1-0 win against Arsenal in the fourth round, but that remains their only win from their last six games and came against a Gunners side who rested a couple of key players.
Making his latest predictions for BBC Sport, Lawrenson suggested that the Saints could be set for another difficult game, believing that Wolves can start to focus more of their full attention on the FA Cup after their recent upturn in performances. He also predicted that Southampton would be on the wrong end of a 2-1 scoreline, saying:
Wolves are slowly looking a better team, and their results have picked up too. They are having a disappointing season in the Premier League, but they are not in danger of going down, so the FA Cup is maybe becoming more attractive to them than it was.
Southampton, meanwhile, are still on an awful run. Saints knocked out Arsenal in round four but they have lost five in a row in the Premier League and are not playing very well either. This feels like a good time to face them.
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It is difficult to argue with Lawrenson’s assessment considering the form that Southampton have shown lately. Hasenhuttl is facing a difficult decision over whether he needs to rest some of his key players to avoid further injuries to his squad over the next few weeks as they aim to revive their Premier League form.
Wolves have picked up their form over the last few weeks and they managed to hold Leicester City to a goalless draw on Sunday after beating Arsenal 2-1 last week. That suggests they are starting to get back to the type of performances they produced last season, and they can be a real threat when they are their best.
For Southampton, a win would be a major bonus and could help to restore their confidence for the rest of the season. However, as nice as a cup run would be, it is perhaps more important that they avoid any more injuries and that they can revive their form in the Premier League to avoid slipping any further down the table.
