Ben Foster and Ben Tozer both in agreement as they make Wrexham prediction ahead of Southampton opener

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Wrexham kickstart their 2025/26 season with arguably the toughest assignment that the Championship can offer next time round: a trip to Southampton.

Despite Southampton’s miserable 2024/25 season in the Premier League, which saw them rack up just 12 points across the whole season, they return to the Championship as a force, and as one of the early favourites for the title.

Meanwhile, Wrexham earned promotion from League One last time round, returning to the second tier of English football for the first time in more than 40 years. But Wrexham’s summer transfer business has been slow so far with just two new signings arriving at the Racecourse.

On top of that, Wrexham lost 2-1 against Sydney FC in a pre-season friendly on Tuesday, adding to the fears that this current side is nowhere near ready for the Championship.

• READ MORE: Phil Parkinson finally explains why Sam Smith hasn’t played for Wrexham so far this summer

Ben Foster and Ben Tozer make their predictions for Southampton vs Wrexham

Speaking to RobRyanRed from Australia, former Dragons favourites Ben Foster and Ben Tozer gave their verdicts on the clash against Southampton at St Mary’s, which is on August 9th.

Southampton have hired a new manager in Will Still this summer. He arrives after impressing in Ligue 1, but with no experience of the Championship or of managing in England. That’s compared to Phil Parkinson who might be the most experienced manager in the Championship next season.

And Wrexham are the team with momentum right now, which Foster thinks could count for a lot on August 9th. He said: “It’s Championship, isn’t it? It’s going to be really, really tough. It’s a massive step up. But I think momentum is massive and we’ve got momentum, and even the first game of season, we spoke about it earlier, Southampton have been on the opposite of it.

“They’ve had an awful run of momentum whereas we’re on the upward spike.”

Tozer also thinks the instability that has beset Southampton over the last few years now could give Wrexham an unlikely advantage for the game at St Mary’s next month. He said: “They have no stability, no security. So in the longevity of the manager, obviously the gaffer [Parkinson] has been here for four years. Theirs has been there for like four weeks or so.”

• READ MORE: The one positive from Wrexham’s defeat against Sydney FC as ‘incredible’ attendance revealed

When was the last time Wrexham played Southampton?

Wrexham and Southampton have been in totally different journeys over the last 20 years or so. Wrexham have lingered in the non-league before shooting up the leagues under Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, whilst Southampton have toyed between Premier League and the Championship, even spending a time in League One.

But next season they’re on level footing. And they meet for the first time since 1979, and play each other in a league fixture for the first time since 1960.

In 1979 they played in the League Cup and Southampton won 3-0. But Wrexham won the last league fixture between the two, 2-1, with the Dragons having won three of seven games against the Saints, who have won the other four.

The game kicks off at 12:30pm on Saturday August 9th, and will be available to watch live on Sky Sports Football.