Wolves vs Manchester City – Match Preview and Team News

In partnership with

The Football Faithful

·20 ottobre 2024

Wolves vs Manchester City – Match Preview and Team News

Manchester City travel to the Midlands this weekend to face a dispirited Wolverhampton Wanderers side at Molineux.

Pep Guardiola’s team remain unbeaten this season and they will hope to pile the pressure on league leaders Liverpool ahead of their game later on Sunday.

OneFootball Video

The hosts are still searching for their first triumph of the campaign and they enter this contest knowing defeat will mean they end the weekend at the bottom of the league standings.

In Friday’s press conference, Guardiola ruled out Kevin de Bruyne and Nathan Ake for Sunday’s fixture as they have not fully recovered from their respective issues.

For Wolves, South Korean forward Hwang Hee-Chan will be sidelined until after the next international break after sustaining an ankle injury against Jordan. He joins long-term absentees Yerson Mosquera and Boubacar Traore on the treatment table.

Wolves vs Manchester City – Match Preview and Team News

Form

Wolves: LLLLL

Wolves have commenced the campaign in catastrophic form and have collected only one point from their first seven league games.

Gary O’Neil’s position has come under intense scrutiny in recent weeks, and time is running out to convince the Wolves board that he is the right man to steer the club away from potential relegation.

Their solitary point came in a 1-1 draw at Nottingham Forest and they are only not rooted to the bottom of the table due to Southampton’s inferior goal difference.

🐺
– sabato 19 ottobre 2024

The last time they played, they were on the wrong side of a 5-3 thriller against Brentford, a game which epitomised the issues they have.

Offensively they have looked promising, but the Old Gold have the worst defence in the division. Wolves have shipped 21 goals in just seven games, an average of three goals conceded per 90.

Manchester City: DWDWW

Manchester City currently reside in second place in the Premier League despite not being at their magical best.

Since Rodri’s anterior cruciate ligament injury against Arsenal, a hint of vulnerability has crept into their performances. The Citizens edged out Fulham 3-2 in their last fixture, a clash that saw the West Londoners triumph in the ‘xG’ battle at the Etihad during a wasteful performance.

Air @ErlingHaaland ✈️
– venerdì 18 ottobre 2024

After netting nine goals in his first four league outings, Erling Haaland is in the midst of a comparative goal drought having not found the net in his last two Premier League matches.

An emphatic triumph at Wolves would take the blue half of Manchester top of the table, temporarily at least, with Liverpool facing Chelsea later in the day.

Last Meeting: Manchester City 5-1 Wolves, Premier League, 4th May 2024

It was the Erling Haaland show in Manchester back in May as the Norwegian marksman blew Wolves away with a four-goal haul.

The 24-year-old had already secured the match ball by half-time with his hat-trick having all but wrapped up the three points going into the interval.

A towering header past Jose Sa was sandwiched between two precise penalties after Josko Gvardiol and Haaland himself were fouled in the box.

Wolves found a glimmer of hope shortly after the break when Hwang Hee-Chan found the net, but any hope was quashed less than 60 seconds later as Haaland scored his fourth with a sumptuous curling effort beyond the despairing reach of Sa.

Julian Alvarez completed the rout in the closing stages to complete an emphatic result at the Etihad Stadium.

Predicted Lineups

Wolves: Johnstone; Semedo, Dawson, T.Gomes, Ait-Nouri; Andre, Lemina, J. Gomes; Cunha, Bellegarde, Larsen.

Manchester City: Ederson; Lewis, Akanji, Dias, Gvardiol; Kovacic, Gundogan, Silva; Foden, Grealish, Haaland

Who is the referee?

Chris Kavanagh is the match official. He will be assisted by Constantine Hatzidakis and Richard West while Tom Bramall will be the fourth official. The VAR is Stuart Attwell and he will be assisted by Marc Perry.