Wolves host Manchester City at Molineux in their opening Premier League game of the season, with Rayan Aït-Nouri returning to his former club for the first time since signing for Pep Guardiola’s side during the summer transfer window.
By Matt Smith
Both teams will be desperate to get off to a strong start after getting plenty of business done this summer, with Wolves having to contend with losing Matheus Cunha and Aït-Nouri, while City are hoping to build a squad capable of beating Liverpool to the Premier League title.
When the two sides last met, during the 2024/2025 season, Man City came out on top. Kevin De Bruyne, who left the club in the summer to join Napoli, scored the only goal of the game for the home side.
Team news
Guardiola confirmed to the media on Friday that Joško Gvardiol, Savinho, Mateo Kovačić, and Ederson will all be unavailable for the home side due to injury. Speculation has surrounded the futures of Ederson and Savinho in recent weeks, and they will miss out this weekend.
Vítor Pereira will be without Leon Chiwome, Yerson Mosquera, and Fábio Silva for the game against Manchester City. We could see new signings Jhon Arias, David Møller Wolfe, and Fer López make their debuts.
City have some catching up to do
Man City’s performances last season weren’t too dissimilar to see what we’re so used to seeing from a Guardiola side. The Manchester club enjoyed more possession than any other team in the Premier League, but the difference between them and Liverpool from a creativity standpoint was night and day.
Liverpool created a whopping 83.5 xG compared to City’s 69.2, and being more productive in the final third will be on the agenda for Guardiola. The addition of Rayan Cherki will certainly help with that, and they will be hoping to see Phil Foden have a resurgence of form.
Pereira must sort the leaky defence
Only the three relegated sides conceded more goals than Wolves last season, and it’s an area that Pereira will have no doubt been working on during pre-season. Losing Aït-Nouri and Nelson Semedo from the defence might not help, but it’s a chance for them to start afresh at the back.
Wolves have also lost the creativity and goals of Cunha heading into the new campaign, and they will be hoping the likes of López and Arias can replicate the Brazilian’s contributions.
Cherki to burst on the scene
City fans might be worried about losing the creativity of De Bruyne this season, but Guardiola’s recruitment team acted quickly to replace him. Cherki isn’t an identical player to De Bruyne, but he can certainly bring the creativity they need.
The French international can also chip in with goals, and at the age of 21, he’s far from the finished product yet. He’ll no doubt be looking to stamp his authority on the Premier League.
Prediction
It’s difficult to see past a Man City win here. We’re going for a 3-0 victory.
(Cover image from IMAGO)
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