Preview: Southampton vs Wrexham - prediction, team news, lineups

Two teams expected to scrap for a top-six finish will square off on the Championship's opening matchday, as relegated Southampton host promoted upstarts Wrexham.

Saints sank back down to the second tier last season in disastrous style, while their Welsh counterparts continued their fairytale ascent up the pyramid, and the pair meet at St Mary's on Saturday.

Match preview

Barely avoiding the worst points tally in Premier League history, Southampton endured an awful top-flight campaign in 2024-25, ultimately being relegated in last place.

Russell Martin, Simon Rusk and Ivan Juric all tried and failed to turn things around, but in the aftermath of such a spirit-sapping year, former Lens coach Will Still has taken charge and will now seek a fresh start.

Promotion back to England's elite level is Southampton's clear aim, though they face plenty of competition and a long road ahead.

After starting pre-season with a 2-1 win over Eastleigh, Still took his squad to Spain, where they drew 1-1 with Castellon and lost 2-1 to Espanyol.

Last week, Saints travelled along the south coast for their final friendly, away to Brighton & Hove Albion, fighting back to salvage a 2-2 draw at the Amex.

Jay Robinson's 69th-minute strike sparked the comeback, before an Adam Armstrong penalty pulled them level, boosting confidence in the camp ahead of this week's big kickoff.

While Southampton have yo-yoed between the top two divisions, Saturday will see Wrexham play their first second-tier game in 43 years.

Indeed, the last league encounter between the teams was way back in April 1960; their most recent meeting in any competition came in the 1979-80 League Cup, when the Welsh club lost 8-0 over two legs.

This time, Y Dreigiau are a very different proposition, having ridden the wave of Hollywood investment and huge public interest to fly through the lower leagues and into the Championship.

Following back-to-back promotions, Wrexham finished last term's League One campaign with an unbeaten streak of 10 games, winning seven en route to claiming second place.

Amid another summer of spending - including the high-profile arrivals of Kieffer Moore and Conor Coady - Phil Parkinson's men prepared for the upcoming campaign with a trip down under.

There they beat Melbourne Victory 3-0, before losing to Sydney FC and Wellington Phoenix; then, last week's trip to the Netherlands brought a 3-1 defeat against Groningen, wrapping up Wrexham's pre-season schedule.

Southampton pre-season form: D L D

Wrexham pre-season form: W L L L

Team News

Though Tyler Dibling has been withdrawn from training as a move to Everton nears - while players including Kyle Walker-Peters, Kamaldeen Sulemana, Jan Bednarek and Aaron Ramsdale have already joined Southampton's summer exodus - Saturday's hosts have been busy refreshing their squad.

New boys Joshua Quarshie and Damion Downs should both feature this weekend: a USA international, the latter was FC Koln's joint-top scorer in the 2.Bundesliga last season and found the net in a recent friendly against Espanyol.

After making his Premier League debut last term, young forward Jay Robinson has impressed in pre-season. He will compete with Downs - plus proven Championship operators Cameron Archer, Adam Armstrong and Ben Brereton Diaz - for selection.

While Saints have somewhat struggled in the transfer market, Wrexham laid down a statement of intent by signing Ryan Hardie from Plymouth Argyle before persuading Coady, Lewis O'Brien and Moore to join.

Among others, versatile New Zealand international Liberato Cacace - a regular starter in Serie A last season - should also make his competitive debut for the club this weekend.

However, the visitors have a number of injury concerns, with another new boy George Thomason being hampered by a thigh problem, while Ollie Rathbone and ex-Saint Jay Rodriguez are both doubts.

Southampton possible starting lineup: Bazunu; Stephens, Bree, Quarshie, Manning; Fernandes, Charles, Downes; Armstrong, Archer, Fraser

Wrexham possible starting lineup: Ward; O’Connell, Coady, Brunt; Longman, Lee, O'Brien, Cacace, McClean; Windass, Moore

We say: Southampton 2-2 Wrexham

The Championship's early kickoff should set the tone for an eventful day ahead, as two teams coming from very different directions meet at St Mary's.

Wrexham scored freely in the third tier last term - before adding more firepower this summer - so they can go toe-to-toe with Southampton, who will still field a strong XI despite recent departures.

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