MANCHESTER CITY-Man City will play Wolves on Saturday night in an attempt to move closer to winning the Premier League. As the season nears its conclusion, Pep Guardiola’s team is four victories away from winning the trophy for the fourth consecutive year, but Arsenal is still pushing them. The champions are still in the lead in the championship battle, but City may fall four points behind the leaders when they play Wolves since Arsenal is playing Bournemouth earlier in the day.
Manchester City’s dominance
Regardless of what the Gunners might do, City will keep their domestic title if they win on Saturday and then against Fulham, Tottenham, and West Ham. After defeating City at Molineux earlier in the season, Wolves’ seven-match losing streak came to an end last time out when they narrowly defeated Luton, and they are still very much in the running for a top-half finish. The game between Man City and Wolves is slated to begin at 5.30 p.m. BST on Saturday, May 4, 2024. Manchester’s Etihad Stadium will serve as the venue. Phil Foden and Ruben Dias, who were both ruled out of City’s trip to Nottingham Forest due to sickness, should be back in the lineup.
Wolves’ recent form
Guardiola stated that Ederson’s shoulder injury against Forest “doesn’t look good,” therefore he is doubtful. However, Erling Haaland made his comeback from the bench in that game, so he should start. For Wolves, the victory over Luton was the first time since December that Hwang Hee-chan and Matheus Cunha started together, and their return to form is a huge plus for the visitors. A hamstring ailment might keep Santiago Bueno out of action once more, and Pedro Neto and Craig Dawson are among the longer-term absences. Although Wolves defeated City in their rematch earlier in the season, Guardiola’s team hasn’t lost in the Premier League in over five months. Even if they haven’t played their best lately, they are on yet another unstoppable run towards the conclusion of the season, and they should easily win another one with efficiency and probably little drama.
Head-to-Head analysis
On Sunday afternoon, relegation-fighting Wolverhampton Wanderers will play host to reigning Premier League champions Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium. In midweek league play, Pep Guardiola’s team stunned everyone by coming back from a 2-0 halftime deficit to defeat top-four contender Tottenham Hotspur 4-2 in the second half. The Cityzens aim to close the gap on leaders Arsenal even more by defeating Wolverhampton, a team they have vanquished in five consecutive Premier League meetings. After failing to score in his last two Premier League games, Erling Braut Haaland is back on the scoreboard, giving Man City hope that they will succeed in their attempt to win back-to-back league games for the first time since November. After Tuesday’s FA Cup agony against Liverpool, where Harvey Elliott’s 13th-minute goal defeated them 1-0, Wolverhampton’s players are lacking confidence.
Key players to watch
Following two victories in his first two competitive games as Wolves’ manager, Julen Lopetegui has only managed one win in the last six games (D2, L3). On the other hand, the Spaniard has guided his squad to two victories in four Premier League games (D1, L1), matching the number of victories they achieved in the fifteen games prior under Bruno Lage (W2, D3, L9). That has enabled Wolves to escape the relegation zone, but there isn’t much time to celebrate as West Ham United, in 18th place, is only two points behind them. Man City has been a tough opponent at the Etihad, having only lost once in their past 16 home Premier League games (W13, D2), dating back to the 2021–2022 campaign. The Citizens should be able to fight back even if they give up the opening goal, as they have successfully won their past five league games despite trailing by two goals. This season, Guardiola has already humiliated Lopetegui by leading Man City to a resounding 4-0 victory over Sevilla at home during the Champions League group stages.
Scoreline prediction
With the exception of Lopetegui’s Premier League touchline debut, which saw Wolves defeat Everton 2-1, Wolves has lost all eight of its league away games this season (D3, L5). But under the Spanish manager’s guidance, Wolves’ historically poor front line has improved, averaging a goal per league game now under his command as opposed to 0.5 before his arrival. That might give the visitors hope to snap a five-match losing record against the reigning Premier League winners. The visitors’ last victory over the holders came in October 2019 at the Etihad.
Under Lopetegui, Wolves have found some confidence again, but a team with the lowest scoring percentage in the Premier League looks to be asking for too much to win at the Etihad. We believe Man City will easily win, as they are in a strong position to build on their encouraging victory against Tottenham.
