Wolves, managed by Gary O'Neil, suffered a 3-2 loss to Championship club Ipswich Town on Tuesday, marking their fourth consecutive winless match across all competitions. They endured back-to-back league defeats against Crystal Palace and Liverpool, followed by a contentious 1-1 draw against Luton Town last weekend. Their midweek EFL Cup exit at the hands of Ipswich added to their woes. Wolves had a promising start at Portman Road, going two goals up within the first 15 minutes thanks to strikes from Hwang Hee-chan and Toti Gomes. However, Ipswich quickly equalized, and Jack Taylor's stunning long-range goal completed the comeback in the second half.
Returning to their home ground, where they have already suffered Premier League losses to Brighton & Hove Albion and Liverpool, Wolves face a tough fixture list with matches against Manchester City, Aston Villa, Newcastle United, and Tottenham Hotspur lined up.
Since their double victory over Manchester City in the 2019-20 season, Wolves have struggled against the Citizens, losing all six of their subsequent meetings by a combined score of 19-3, including a 3-0 defeat last season, despite playing with 10 men for almost an hour.
Currently sitting 16th in the Premier League table, Wolves are just three points above the relegation zone, with both Luton and Burnley having a game in hand. A loss on Saturday would mark only the third time in their history that Wolves have lost their first three home games of a league season, previously occurring in 1986-87 and 2021-22.
Manchester City, on the other hand, faced their first defeat in 90 minutes across all competitions in 39 games when they were narrowly beaten by Newcastle United in the EFL Cup on Wednesday, marking their exit from the competition for the first time in a decade. Alexander Isak's 53rd-minute goal sealed the match, with City unable to respond after a dominant first half in terms of possession.
Despite the loss, Pep Guardiola praised his players. With an unprecedented quadruple no longer achievable, City's exit from the EFL Cup does lighten their congested fixture schedule, which includes upcoming Club World Cup matches in Saudi Arabia.
Sitting atop the Premier League table with six consecutive wins, Manchester City is gearing up for three consecutive away fixtures within eight days. After facing Wolves on Saturday, they will travel to RB Leipzig for a Champions League match and then take on Arsenal in a Premier League showdown.
City has had successful outings in their previous three visits to Molineux, winning all three matches with a combined score of 11-2, scoring at least three goals each time. Another victory on Saturday would mark the first time in their history that City has won their opening seven games of a top-flight season.
INJURIES & SUSPENSION
Wolverhampton Wanderers are currently in good shape in terms of player fitness. However, they will be missing midfielder Jean-Ricner Bellegarde, who is serving the second match of his three-game suspension after being red-carded during the Luton match. Additionally, Tommy Doyle, who is on loan from Manchester City, won't be able to play against his parent club due to ineligibility.Manager Gary O'Neil is expected to field a lineup similar to the one that started against Luton, with goalkeeper Jose Sa protected by a defensive quartet consisting of Nelson Semedo, Craig Dawson, Max Kilman, and Rayan Ait-Nouri.
The absence of Bellegarde and Doyle may lead to Boubacar Traore earning a start in central midfield alongside Mario Lemina and Joao Gomes. In the attacking department, Pedro Neto and Matheus Cunha could return to the lineup, partnering with Hwang Hee-chan.
As for Manchester City, Rodri won't be available due to suspension, following a red card for violent conduct in the match against Nottingham Forest last weekend. Furthermore, Kevin De Bruyne (hamstring), John Stones (muscle), and Bernardo Silva (leg) remain sidelined due to injuries.
Manchester City did see the return of Mateo Kovacic in the midweek game, and he could continue to feature in central midfield, alongside either Kalvin Phillips or Matheus Nunes, who is returning to familiar territory after leaving Wolves in the summer.
Manager Pep Guardiola is set to reintroduce several key players who were rested in the midweek match. Expect to see Ederson, Kyle Walker, Ruben Dias, Phil Foden, and Erling Haaland back in action. Haaland, in particular, had an impressive record against Wolves last season, scoring four goals across two games.
POSSIBLE LINE-UPS
Wolverhampton Wanderers possible starting lineup:Sa; Semedo, Dawson, Kilman, Ait-Nouri; Gomes, Traore, Lemina; Neto, Cunha, Hwang
Manchester City possible starting lineup:
Ederson; Walker, Akanji, Dias, Ake; Kovacic, Nunes; Foden, Alvarez, Doku; Haaland
EXPERT PREDICTION
Wolves 1-3 Manchester City
While the hosts may feel optimistic about their ability to score, given their recent record of finding the net in each of their last nine league games at Molineux, it is anticipated that Pep Guardiola's team will have little trouble outscoring their opponents on their way to a convincing win in the West Midlands.
