Wolves are fighting for their lives at the bottom of the table. The Old Gold remain contenders to be relegated to the Championship.
Having replaced Gary O’Neil last year, Vitor Pereira was tasked with keeping Wolves in the Premier League.
Although not mathematically certain yet, Wolves are on course to retain their top-flight status at the expense of Leicester City and Ipswich Town.
| Position | Team | Played MP | Won W | Drawn D | Lost L | For GF | Against GA | Diff GD | Points Pts |
| 15 |  EvertonEverton | 28 | 7 | 12 | 9 | 31 | 35 | -4 | 33 |
| 16 |  West HamWest Ham | 28 | 9 | 6 | 13 | 32 | 48 | -16 | 33 |
| 17 |  WolvesWolves | 28 | 6 | 5 | 17 | 38 | 57 | -19 | 23 |
| 18 |  IpswichIpswich | 28 | 3 | 8 | 17 | 26 | 58 | -32 | 17 |
| 19 |  LeicesterLeicester | 28 | 4 | 5 | 19 | 25 | 62 | -37 | 17 |
The pressure is on following Matheus Cunha’s three-game suspension but there is hope the Wolves manager will build his team around another important player.
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Emmanuel Agbadou crucial to Wolves’ survival hopes
Emmanuel Agbadou joined Wolves in January but has already emerged as a key player for Pereira. The commanding centre-back’s importance was proven by his immediate recall against Everton following injury.
And the Express and Star’s Wolves expert Liam Keen thinks Pereira will build his upcoming game-plans around the Ivorian defender in Cunha’s absence.
“Wolves are creeping toward safety. I don’t think they’re going to fly toward it, although a win against Southampton would put them in a great position,” he said on the E&S Wolves podcast.
“I think they’ll get there and they’ll probably get over the line by being hard to beat with Agbadou back in defence and that’s going to be the game plan, I suspect, especially with Cunha being out.”
Even though Wolves have lost four matches that Agbadou has featured in, his performances have helped shore up the backline.
Agbadou set to start against Southampton
While three sides are vying for one safe spot, Southampton’s fate has already been sealed. Except for a sporting miracle, the Saints will spend next season in the Championship.
And next up for Ivan Juric’s strugglers is a home tie against Wolves. The Saints will host the Old Gold at St. Mary’s on Saturday in a game that could boost the away side’s hopes of remaining in England’s big time.
Agbadou is certain to play a key role again. The African will once again line up alongside Matt Doherty and Toti Gomes at the heart of Wolves’ defence with Rayan Ait-Nouri and Nelson Semedo likely to keep their places on the wings.
Agbadou’s inclusion, as Keen said, will be crucial to Wolves’ chances of adding to their tally, which, after 28 games, stands at 23 points.