Southampton vs Wrexham: Team news, predicted line ups and TV channel
Wrexham face Southampton in their opening match of the Championship season.
Wrexham will play their first Championship match in 43 years when they begin the new season with a trip to face Southampton this weekend.
The Red Dragons are new arrivals in the English second-tier after they recorded a historic third successive promotion last season, while the Saints were relegated from the Premier League in 2024-25 for the second time in three campaigns.
Opposite Expectations
For a team with the top-flight experience of Southampton and the fairy tale story of Wrexham, you’d think they’d both be tipped as possible title contenders.
That’s the case for the Hampshire club, with Sky Sports giving them the second-best odds to win the league at 5/1, with only fellow recently relegated Ipswich Town having better odds (3/1).
Some aren’t so high on Wrexham going up for a fourth time, though quite the opposite. The Opta Analysts supercomputer at the beginning of August gave them the third-best odds to be relegated (20.2%), with only Watford (21.7%) and Oxford United (21.7%) above them.
Contrasting summers
The transfer window isn’t officially closed, but leading up to Saturday’s clash, these two sides have had different summers on the market.
Southampton have signed three new players, Sutura Kakay, Damion Downs and Joshua Quarshie. They’ve sold Jan Bednarek (Porto) and Sam Amo-Ameyaw (Strasbourg), and loaned goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale to Newcastle.
As for Wrexham, it’s been a fast and furious few weeks, with Liberato Cacace, Kieffer Moore, George Thomason, Josh Windass, Ryan Hardie, Conor Coady, and Lewis O’Brien through the door.
Notable departures include Steven Fletcher, Mark Howard and Sam Dalby, while Paul Mullin is the biggest name to be sent out on loan, with the Wrexham icon off to Wigan Athletic for the season.
Instant impact
The right manager can make all the difference, as Wrexham fans have discovered, though Southampton’s new coach has a history of being instantly impactful too. At the age of 30, Will Still was the youngest manager in the big five leagues at Stade de Reims in October 2022.
The Belgian-born coach went unbeaten in his first 14 Ligue 1 matches in charge. During that campaign, he didn’t have his UEFA Pro Licence, which meant that Reims were fined €25,000 for every match that he managed.
Meanwhile, Phil Parkinson hasn’t lost more than two league fixtures in his opening eight matches at the helm of Wrexham.
Southampton vs Wrexham TV Channel and how to watch
Wrexham’s trip to face Southampton will be broadcast live in the UK on Sky Sports Football, Sky Sports Main Event, and streamed live on the Sky Go App.
US viewers can watch full coverage on Paramount+ with kick-off from 12:30pm BST on Saturday 9 August 2025. Match highlights will be available on the club’s official YouTube channel as well as the EFL channel.
Injury News
Ollie Rathbone is recovering from an ankle issue, Jay Rodriguez has a foot injury, Mo Faal has a hamstring strain, and Andy Cannon is recovering from a cruciate ligament tear.
Meanwhile, Taylor Harwood-Bellis is back training for Southampton but is a doubt for the weekend, Ben Brereton Diaz has a hip issue, and Will Smallbone has an arm injury. Sam Edozie and Charlie Taylor were injured in camp and are also doubts.
Predicted XI
Okonkwo; Cleworth, Coady, Brunt; Longman, James, Windass, O’Brien, Cacace; Moore, Hardie.
