Hollywood club Wrexham begin their Championship campaign tomorrow afternoon with a visit to Southampton.
The Red Dragons arrive in the second tier of English football having completed back-to-back promotions.
Now, Wrexham are targeting a place in the Premier League, the division in which Southampton struggled immensely during the 2024-25 campaign.
But a fresh season brings renewed hope for the Saints and new manager Will Still, who will be eager to get off to a winning start at St Mary’s.
Read on for our full Southampton vs Wrexham betting preview, complete with football betting tips.
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Southampton vs Wrexham Preview
Wrexham are, of course, the talk of the town heading into the new Championship season thanks to their celebrity owners in Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney.
Their journey from League Two to the second tier of English football has been viewed by millions across the world, mainly due to the Disney+ series ‘Welcome to Wrexham’.
Unsurprisingly, the Red Dragons have been busy in the transfer market this summer, bringing in top names like Danny Ward, Conor Coady, Josh Windass, Kiefer Moore, Ryan Hardie, Lewis O’Brien and Liberato Cacace.
On paper, it now looks like a Wrexham squad capable of challenging for Premier League promotion, although plenty of quality teams have come unstuck after making the jump from League One.
As for the Saints, they will not want the seemingly endless losses and setbacks in the top flight last season to have an impact in 2025-26.
This is why Still’s appointment, which brought with it renewed enthusiasm and fresh ideas, was such a vital move by the South Coast club.
And while some key players have left St Mary’s this summer, namely Kyle Walker-Peters, Aaron Ramsdale and Jan Bednarek, the Saints have added some exciting youngsters in forward Damion Downs and centre-back Joshua Quarshie.
If Southampton can keep hold of fleet-footed winger Tyler Dibling for the 2025-26 season – with reported interest from a host of Premier League clubs – they will really fancy their chances of returning to the Premier League at the first time of asking.
Southampton vs Wrexham Odds
*All odds are subject to change
Hosts Southampton are big favourites to win this Matchday 1 fixture at odds of 1.69. A Wrexham victory is priced at 4.50, while the draw is 3.67.
Southampton vs Wrexham Betting Tips
Cameron Archer to score anytime @ 2.95
Archer is the pre-season favourite to win the Golden Boot, so we are backing him to get his trophy charge up and running. The youngster has found the going tough in the Premier League, but has previously excelled at Championship level with 18 goals in 40 appearances.
Ryan Hardie to score anytime @ 4.10
Hardie really is an astute piece of business from the folks at Wrexham. The ex-Plymouth forward has scored 22 goals across the previous two Championship seasons, and his experience on this stage could be huge for the newly-promoted side. A debut goal to celebrate? Well, the odds look great!
Southampton to win and both teams to score @ 3.70
Tipping a goalscorer from each team means it is only right to look at a BTTS market. And this is also a great way to enhance the odds of a victory for the big pre-match favourites. Southampton drew 2-2 with Premier League side Brighton at St Mary’s in their final pre-season match, which should serve them well here.
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