Wolves v Southampton: Nuno's men hope to find their missing mojo

Still, in this bizarre era, it is more time than most teams have had following the final international break of 2020, and the onus is on stepping things up against Southampton, writes Joe Edwards.

Against Leicester last time out, Nuno Espirito Santo’s lot put in a rather flat display and – controversial penalty call aside – did not really deserve anything at the King Power.

And they will know more is required against the Saints, who are one of the Premier League’s form teams.

They may be missing star striker Danny Ings, but Ralph Hasenhuttl’s charges have caught the eye with their energetic, high-pressing and, ultimately, entertaining football.

With five wins, a draw and two losses to their name so far, they come into the clash full of confidence.

Wolves, meanwhile, are still finding their way this season.

Nuno did pick up the manager of the month award for October, of course, but – apart from against Crystal Palace and at Sheffield United – it has not fully clicked.

The defence has been solid, but goals have proved elusive while fresh faces such as Nelson Semedo are still getting used to their surroundings.

Assessing Southampton and his own side, Nuno said: “They are a very good team.

“They have very good players and a good manager, and they play with high intensity.

“We want to improve in all aspects of the game.

“There’s a big challenge in front of us, but we’re always trying to raise our standards.

“That’s what we want, to embrace the challenge as you always have a chance to play better.”

Team-wise, Nuno is hoping skipper Conor Coady can feature after a period of self-isolation.

He had to pull out of England duty after coming into contact with someone who tested positive for Covid-19, despite giving two negative tests.

Coady will be hoping to make it 120 consecutive league appearances for Wolves – closing in on Phil Parkes’ 127 – but asked about the situation in his pre-match press conference, Nuno said it was a case of having to ‘wait and see’.

Rayan Ait-Nouri is a doubt having pulled out of France Under-21 duty with a muscle problem, although Fernando Marcal could be considered the favourite to start at left-wing-back regardless of fitness after Ait-Nouri’s below-par display at Leicester.

Leander Dendoncker had a slight niggle while away with Belgium but played for them in midweek and is expected to be OK.

Adama Traore, although he is yet to sign a new contract, will be hoping to start after being on the bench for the last five league games.

Nuno, meanwhile, says defender Max Kilman has carried on training after the death of his father.

“It’s a moment of sadness, a very hard moment for Max, but we’re here to support him and help him,” added Nuno.

“Losing a father, nobody can imagine anything worse than that.

“We’re here to support him, but he’s a strong boy.

“He’s training. The sadness doesn’t go away, but we know that we have to grieve so we overcome the situation.

“This is what Max is doing, with the all the help of the team-mates.

“We make him feel, him and his family, that we do anything we can to help.

“We are friends. We love each other, and we help each other.”