Sunday 30 September 2018 07:32, UK
Wolves host Southampton at Molineux this weekend hoping to continue their fine start to life back in the Premier League.
The West Midlands club can go five top-flight games unbeaten for the first time since November 1981 if they avoid defeat to the Saints on Saturday.
Southampton, who have lost just one of their last 10 trips to Molineux, have managed just one win so far this season and sit 14th in the table - four points behind Wolves.
Mark Hughes says his side are not far away from reaching top gear, and feels Danny Ings can help bring a cutting edge back to the team when he returns to action this weekend.
Ings had scored twice in his last two appearances, but was unavailable for selection in the 3-0 defeat at Liverpool under the terms of his season-long loan deal.
"He was a loss for us last week clearly, because Danny has brought a little bit of a cutting edge in terms of what he brings at the top end of the pitch," the Southampton manager said at a press conference.
"It is also his ball retention and ability to bring people into the game more, which was something we probably lacked last weekend.
"You are always going to miss a player of the quality of Danny, irrespective of who comes in."
Nuno Espirito Santo made nine changes to his side as Wolves were beaten on penalties by Leicester in the Carabao Cup third round in midweek, but the Portuguese is expected to revert back to the same starting XI fielded in each of their six league matches.
It would mean record buy Adama Traore would again have to settle for a place on the bench following his £18million move from Middlesbrough.
Wolves have no fresh injury worries, but Ivan Cavaleiro (back) and Leander Dendoncker (match fitness) have yet to feature in the league.
While Ings comes back in for Southampton, Hughes confirmed forward Shane Long was a major doubt following a flare-up of a toe problem which has seen him miss training all week.
Moi Elyounoussi and Manolo Gabbiadini, though, should both be available again after their own fitness issues.
I like watching Wolves, I think they're a decent team. This is a hard game for Southampton, Wolves are playing great football at the moment and Molineux is a hard place to go.
I think Wolves will come seventh or eighth, they could easily do that. We saw what they did to the team who finished seventh last year a few weeks ago - they ripped Burnley apart and it could have been any football score you wanted. If they keep doing what they're doing, they've got every chance of coming seventh or eighth.
PAUL PREDICTS: 2-0 (7/1 with Sky Bet)
