Southampton will welcome Wrexham to St. Mary's Stadium in their opening game of the new 2025/26 Championship campaign at Saturday lunchtime. Both teams come into the season off the back of very contrasting fortunes.
Indeed, Southampton were relegated after just one season in the Premier League, having accumulated a mere 12 points to finish bottom of the table – just one point above the lowest-ever total recorded by Derby in the 2007/08 campaign (11). Meanwhile, Wrexham earned a third successive promotion, finishing in second place behind Birmingham in League One.
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Southampton vs Wrexham prediction: Saints to get off the mark?
Key stats
- Southampton only lost one of their four pre-season friendlies leading up to this match.
- Wrexham have lost three pre-season friendlies in a row in the build-up to this clash.
- Three of Wrexham's four pre-season friendlies saw three goals scored in total.
Correct score prediction: Southampton 2-1 Wrexham
Given their home advantage and superior form in the lead up to this game, we are expecting Southampton to kick off the new campaign with all three points. However, they failed to keep a clean sheet in any of their four pre-season friendlies, so we also think that Wrexham could get themselves on the scoresheet.
Pre-game odds and win probability: Southampton strong favourites with bookmakers
- HOME: 7/10 (1.70) – 58.8%
- DRAW: 11/4 (3.75) – 26.7%
- AWAY: 19/5 (4.80) – 20.8%
*odds from Ladbrokes, subject to change
As shown by the implied probabilities, Southampton are strong favourites with bookmakers to claim all three points on home soil. A draw is rated at just under 27%, while a Wrexham victory away from home can be backed at just over 20%.
Also, feel free to check out our dedicated Football Betting Tips Today page.
Most recent H2Hs: First meeting between the two sides
This will be the first competitive meeting between Southampton and Wrexham when they face off against each other at Saturday lunchtime. It will no doubt be interesting to see how they both match up, especially given that they are arriving in the Championship from different leagues.
Southampton preview: Dibling likely to miss out
Southampton star Tyler Dibling is likely to miss out after being withdrawn from training amid speculation over a potential move back up to the Premier League with Everton before the summer transfer window shuts. New signings Joshua Quarshie and Damion Downs could be used from the start though.
Predicted lineup: Bazunu (GK); Stephens, Bree, Quarshie, Manning; Fernandes, Charles, Downes; Armstrong, Archer & Downs
England Premier League 10/05/25
D
Man City
0
Southampton
0
England Premier League 03/05/25
L
Leicester
2
Southampton
0
England Premier League 26/04/25
L
Fulham
2
Southampton
1
England Premier League 19/04/25
D
West Ham
1
Southampton
1
England Premier League 12/04/25
L
Aston Villa
3
Southampton
0
Wrexham preview: New signings ready to make impact
Wrexham could hand full debuts to a number of new signings themselves, namely Danny Ward, Liberato Cacace, Conor Coady, Lewis O'Brien and Kieffer Moore. However, George Thomason, Ollie Rathbone and Jay Rodriguez are all expected to miss out through injury.
Predicted lineup: Ward (GK); O'Connell, Coady, Brunt; Longman, Lee, O'Brien, Cacace, McLean; Windass & Moore
England League 1 03/05/25
W
Lincoln City
0
Wrexham
2
England League 1 26/04/25
W
Charlton
0
Wrexham
3
England League 1 21/04/25
W
Blackpool
1
Wrexham
2
England League 1 18/04/25
D
Bristol Rovers
1
Wrexham
1
England League 1 12/04/25
D
Wigan
0
Wrexham
0
Player to watch: Damion Downs
One of Southampton's new signings hoping to get off the mark for the club straight away is Damion Downs. The USA international scored in their pre-season friendly against Espanyol, and was Koln's joint-top scorer in Germany's second tier in the 2024/25 campaign.