Southampton travel to Wolves in the FA Cup fifth round looking to get their season back on track and get back to winning ways after what has been a challenging period for Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side.
The 3-2 defeat at Newcastle on Saturday saw the Saints slip to a fifth successive Premier League defeat, with their only win in their last six matches coming in the fourth round win against Arsenal at St Mary’s. The tie with Wolves represents a chance for Hasenhuttl’s men to regain some form, but their hosts are on an upward curve and picked up a good point against Leicester City at the weekend.
Southampton have been hampered by various injury issues over the last few weeks, with the Saints having been without the likes of Ibrahima Diallo, Theo Walcott, Kyle Walker-Peters, Stuart Armstrong and Mohammed Salisu for the trip to Newcastle. However, they were boosted by the return to action of Jannik Vestergaard after seven league matches out with a knee problem.
Southampton need to sort out their defensive issues, having shipped 12 goals in their last two matches and 18 in the five successive league defeats they have endured (Transfermarkt). That will be crucial if they have any chance of making it through to the quarter-finals of the competition this evening.
It will be interesting to see what sort of team Hasenhuttl puts out against Wolves, with the Saints having got a couple of players back but still without other key members of the squad. That will once again limit the options available to the Austrian.
Here is how we think Hasenhuttl will line up for the trip to Wolves, with four changes from the side which started at Newcastle on Saturday…
