Wrexham return to competitive action on Saturday, taking on Southampton in the opening round of Championship fixtures.
Wrexham open their 2025/26 campaign with a trip to relegated Southampton. Last season, there was a whole division standing between Southampton and Wrexham.
The Saints finished rock bottom of the Premier League with just 12 points, whilst Wrexham finished in second place of the League One table, earning a third-straight promotion.
Now the two teams are on level ground and tomorrow’s opener makes for a very exciting spectacle.
Southampton fans are worried about the lack of signings, whilst Wrexham fans have been impressed by the flurry of arrivals at the racecourse.
What looked like a one-sided game just a few weeks ago now seems like a very evenly matched one, and few would be surprised if Wrexham cause an upset at St Mary’s.
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Wrexham team news vs Southampton including George Thomason injury blow
Wrexham already have a few injuries going into the new season, with the main one being Ollie Rathbone. During the pre-season tour of Australia and New Zealand, Rathbone picked up an ankle injury which Parkinson later confirmed was a ligament injury, and it looks like he’ll be missing for a good few weeks yet.
Elsewhere, Parkinson has also confirmed that strikers Sam Smith and Jay Rodriguez are currently injured and set to miss the start of the new campaign. Elsewhere, in another blow, new signing George Thomason has picked up a thigh injury and he too will miss the game against Southampton. The players’ return dates remain unclear.
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Wrexham’s predicted lineup to face Southampton
With a lot of Wrexham’s new players having arrived, we’ve just one friendly game to play, tomorrow’s line-up against Southampton could be a bit of a makeshift one, and one that’s not played all that much football together.
But needs must for Wrexham, who have a few injuries, particularly in the attacking department, where we could see two new players starting alongside each other, potentially for the first time.
Expect Arthur Okonkwo to start in goal and a defence of James McClean on the left, Max Cleworth, Conor Coady, and Lewis Brunt in the middle, and Ryan Longman on the right.
With Thomason injured, it could mean George Dobson, Matty James, and club record signing Lewis O’Brien start in the midfield trio, and then up front, expect one of the two to be Josh Windass.
Windass could potentially play a bit deeper, either behind Ryan Hardie or Kieffer Moore. But with Hardie having been with the club and the team for a while longer than Moore, it could be the former Plymouth Argyle man who starts.
Here’s how we think Wrexham will line up against Southampton on Saturday…
Okonkwo (GK)
McClean
Cleworth
Coady
Brunt
Longman
Dobson
James
O’Brien
Windass
Hardie