Next up for Manchester City as they continue to hunt down a fourth Premier League title in a row is Wolves, a remainder from earlier in the season that all of the teams have the quality to beat you and set up excellent game plan. City must be switched on given the return of Wolves key players and their game plan they knew worked at their ground to get a win.

Arsenal take on Bournemouth at home in the lunch time kick off which could change the pressure put onto this fixture but it won’t change the outcome needed for City. They have to come away with a win against another difficult team.

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Starting Point

Notable Injuries:

• Manchester City are set to have a fully fit squad with Ederson training midweek he could feature on the bench or start.

• Wolves are without Craig Dawson and Leon Chiwone who are both ruled out for the remainder of the season. Pedro Neto, Santiago Bueno and Jean-Ricner Bellegrade have all returned to training and are in contention to play. Rayan Ait-Nouri was forced off against Luton but is now back in training.

Interesting Stats:

• Manchester City have won seven of their last eight home Premier League games against Wolves.

• Kevin De Bruyne has started six league matches against Wolves, scoring five goals and providing five assists against them.

• Only Sheffield United and Everton have scored less goals from open play in the Premier League this season than Wolves (27). Only three Premier League teams (Arsenal, Everton & Man City) have scored more set play goals this season than Wolves (14).

• In the Premier League this season, Wolves are 4th for most passes blocked. 2nd for most defensive 3rd tackles. 3rd for most tackles in the league. Have the most successful take-ons in the league. 4th most ball recoveries. Committed 2nd most fouls.

Manchester City vs Wolves Preview

PREMIER LEAGUE

General Thoughts:

This is my starting eleven for the game against Wolves and I think that it’s very tough to decide on Dias or Stones coming in given the groove the team is in right now. Akanji is favored by Guardiola and Ake has done well since returning from injury. Foden to return from his illness and start. Week off for the players since the last match so I don’t see why Bernardo Silva, De Bruyne and Rodri would have an issue starting again. Haaland looked sharp on his substitution return and in line to start.

Who starts in goal is a tough one to call seeing the quotes by Guardiola after training this week. I’d go with Ederson since he’s mentioned numerous times this season that he’s the number one if fit.

Now we are in the final run of games, Guardiola does lock in his team with minimal changes. Especially when you have the break between like this one has. That being said where could make changes?

Mateo Kovacic did very well to settle the midfield down when he came on against Forest. Julian Alvarez starting alongside Haaland could be an option. More goal scorers on the pitch and it gives the Wolves backline a different set of match-ups to handle. City were outnumbered in the away fixture.

Jack Grealish may be looked at but in my opinion, it’s Doku on the left that seems the better option to unlock that door. It’s hard to see a spot for Oscar Bobb and Rico Lewis in the team given that Guardiola does not take the risks at this stage. Both have quality and I’d expect to push into the team more next season.

To stay up to date with outfield player minutes, check out of G Sheet here.

Opposition Setup:

Earlier in the season Manchester City lost away to Wolves 2-1 whilst Pep Guardiola was in the stands. There is no doubt City fans can feel confused about Hawng not getting a second yellow before he scores the winner but putting that to one side, Wolves did cause City problems as much as they were poor. De Bruyne and Stones out injured, Rodri Suspended and Bernardo Silva not being available did not help them either.

Wolves sat deep in their block but were aggressive in instances, Foden and Alvarez getting pushed up tight on. Cunha was excellent as screening the defensive midfielder, Mateo Kovacic. Joao Gomes was immense for them out of possession covering Doku and Nunes. That allowed Pedro Neto to cheat and stay high, leading to his threat on the goals. Man for man on the left side only, letting Ait-Nouri battle it out with Kyle Walker and Tote Gomes stay on Foden. Heading to the Etihad, you’d expect a similar type of performance to that. Needing to stay compact but still be aggressive OOP in the right areas.

Here is a possible starting line-up for Wolves this afternoon, you’ll notice just how much talent they have on the pitch and they are a deserved mid-table team this season under Gary O’Neil. Guardiola has had the time to make adjustments for the game and has all the personal now back available. If City are not at the races like against Forest then Wolves will take advantage where they didn’t last weekend.

Ones to Watch: 

• Manchester City: Phil Foden missed out on the last game against Forest, he’s back, fresh off winning FWA player of the year and no doubt his focus will be on winning the Premier League above all else.

• Wolves: All three of Joao Gomes, Pedro Neto and Ait-Nouri have been linked to top club moves in the summer and are all very different players. But It’s Cunha that I’m most interested in watching this game, key to defeating City in the last match and having a stellar season individually.

Predicted Lineup: Ederson, Walker, Akanji, Ake, Gvardiol, Rodri, Bernardo, De Bruyne, Foden, Doku, Haaland

Predicted Score: Manchester City 3 - 1 Wolves

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