Manchester City will host Wolverhampton Wanderers in the Premier League on Sunday, looking to pick up a comfortable victory at home.
Manchester City come into the game against Wolverhampton Wanderers on the back of a morale-boosting win over Tottenham Hotspur, where they did well to come back from 2-0 down to pick up a 4-2 win.
Pep Guardiola will demand a similar performance from his players here, and they will be firm favourites heading into the game.
Meanwhile, Wolverhampton Wanderers were beaten by Liverpool in midweek in the FA Cup replay. And it remains to be seen whether they can produce a strong reaction here. Julen Lopetegui’s men are currently 16th in the league table, and they are unbeaten in three of their last four league outings.
Wolves are firmly in the relegation battle, and they will be hoping to boost their chances of survival with a morale-boosting result here. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
Team News and Tactics
Manchester City
Straight back to work 💪 pic.twitter.com/OeBWuklMOB
— Manchester City (@ManCity) January 20, 2023
Manchester City have a fully-fit squad to choose from, and Pep Guardiola will be able to field a full-strength lineup here. The hosts are likely to line up in a 4-3-3 formation, with Ederson Moraes in goal.
Kyle Walker and Joao Cancelo are expected to continue as the full-backs. And both players will look to take advantage of Wolves’ vulnerabilities at the back and contribute offensively.
John Stones is set to partner with Ruben Dias at the heart of the defense. In the midfield three, Kevin De Bruyne and Ilkay Gundogan will look to control the tempo of the game and add creativity. Meanwhile, Rodri will aim to break up the play and win the ball back for his side.
Star striker Erling Haaland will continue to lead the line for the hosts, with Riyad Mahrez on the right after an impressive performance against Tottenham. Talented youngster Phil Foden will start on the left side of a front three.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Ederson; Walker, Stones, Dias, Cancelo; De Bruyne, Rodri, Gundogan; Mahrez, Haaland, Foden
Wolverhampton Wanderers
Julen Lopetegui will be without the services of Chiquinho, Pedro Neto, Sasa Kalajdzic, and Boubacar Traore due to injuries. Wolverhampton Wanderers are likely to line up in a 4-2-3-1 formation, and they will be expected to sit deep and hit Manchester City on the counter.
Jose Sa is expected to start in goal for the visitors. Nelson Semedo and Hugo Bueno will likely be the full-backs, and they will have to contribute to Wolves’ counter-attacking play as well as cover the centre-backs. Nathan Collins will partner with Max Kilman at the heart of the away defense. It remains to be seen whether the duo can contain an in form Haaland this weekend.
🇪🇸 @Pablosarabia92 🇪🇸 pic.twitter.com/TuSNkxo5aj
— Wolves (@Wolves) January 20, 2023
Ruben Neves is expected to partner Matheus Nunes, recently linked with Liverpool, in the midfield double pivot. Both players will look to protect the center halves and set up counter-attacking opportunities for Wolves.
Adama Traore and Daniel Podence will be the wingers here. And both players will look to add flair and pace in the wide areas. Wolves will need their unpredictability and directness to hurt Manchester City in the transitions.
January signing Pablo Sarabia is expected to start here as the attacking midfielder. Finally, Matheus Cunha will lead the line for Wolverhampton Wanderers against Manchester City on Sunday.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Sa; Semedo, Collins, Kilman, Bueno; Neves, Nunes; Traore, Sarabia, Podence; Cunha
Key Stats
- Manchester City are undefeated in 28 of their last 31 matches in the Premier League.
- Manchester City have won their last five matches against Wolverhampton Wanderers in all competitions.
- Manchester City have scored at least two goals in five of their last six matches against Wolverhampton Wanderers in all competitions.
- Manchester City will be confident of scoring today and will look to keep up their record of scoring in every single home game this season.
- Out of 18 previous meetings, Manchester City have won 12 matches, while Wolverhampton Wanderers won 3.
Player to Watch
Erling Haaland
The Norwegian striker has taken to the Premier League like a duck to water, scoring 22 Premier League goals in just 17 starts. Haaland is in the form of his life, and he has the quality to punish a fragile Wolves defense. Expect the Manchester City striker to strike fears into the hearts of the Wolverhampton Wanderers defenders
At the halfway stage of his debut Premier League season, Erling Haaland's 22 goals would have already won him the Golden Boot in seven past seasons 🤯 pic.twitter.com/VhAXTcCL3b
— B/R Football (@brfootball) January 19, 2023
Prediction
Manchester City 3-0 Wolverhampton Wanderers
Manchester City are overwhelming favourites heading into the game against Wolverhampton Wanderers, and they will be desperate for all three points. The Premier League champions are currently second in the league table, five points adrift of league leaders Arsenal.
They will be aware of the fact that they cannot afford to keep dropping points if they want to win the title this season. So this will be a must-win game for them. The home side have enough quality to grind out a comfortable win despite the fact that Wolves will look to put up a fight here. The Hard Tackle predicts a comprehensive 3-0 victory for Manchester City over Wolverhampton Wanderers.
