Our prediction for this Premier League match:
Southampton and Wolverhampton take on each other at St. Mary’s Stadium in what is expected to be a close Premier League encounter. The Saints did well to hold Man City to a goalless draw at the weekend, with the team drawing their fourth consecutive league fixture. Southampton aim to keep yet another clean sheet, and they are likely to rely on their solid defence in Sunday’s showdown. Shane Long should be fit for the match, while both Theo Walcott and Stuart Armstrong remain in the recovery room.
The Wolves, on the other hand, failed to impress in a 2-0 loss to Brentford, and seeing that they have been struggling in front of goal at the start of the season, a low-scoring affair is on the cards at St. Mary’s Stadium. Both Jonny and Neto are sidelined with injuries, while summer signing Hee-Chan Hwang is pushing for a start.
Highlighted Player (Shane Long):
Shane Long is an Irish international striker who has so far made over 60 appearances for the Republic of Ireland national team, scoring more than 15 goals in the process. The forward began his professional career at Cork City, but only made one league appearance for the club ahead of the switch to Reading, where he would go on to spend next seven years.
During that time, Long established himself as one of the best Irish strikers plying their trade in England, and also went on to represent West Bromwich Albion, Hull City and Southampton.
Despite not exactly boasting an enviable goalscoring record for a centre forward, Long was always held in high regard by both managers and his peers, with his incredible work rate and never-say-die attitude winning him plenty of admirers. Long will also go down as one of the most prolific scorers in the history of the Republic of Ireland national team, which he represented at the Euro 2012 and Euro 2016 finals.
Highlighted Team (Wolves):
Wolverhampton are a club that was originally known as St. Luke’s FC. The Wolves play in the Championship and they were founded in 1877. Molineux is the home ground of Wolverhampton and the capacity of the stadium is 31,700. Wolverhampton have won four FA Cup trophies (1893, 1908, 1949, 1960), with the team lifting the League Cup trophy in 1974 and 1980.
The colour of the club’s shirts is orange and they wear black shorts. The Wolves wear blue jerseys when playing away from home. Wolverhampton’s main rivals are West Bromwich Albion and they have been facing each other in the Black Country derby since 1888. In their first meeting in the local derby WBA recorded a 1-0 win over Wolves.
Wolverhampton have won three First Division trophies (1953/1954, 1957/1958, 1958/1959) and they have clinched four FA Cup titles as well (1893, 1908, 1949, 1960). The club’s owner is Steve Morgan.