Manchester City will aim to continue the unbeaten start to the 2024/25 season when they take on Wolverhampton Wanderers at Molineux on Sunday.
Gameweek 8 of the 2024/25 Premier League season continues on Sunday, with the day featuring three of the top-four clubs in the standings. The action will kick off at Molineux, where Wolverhampton Wanderers will host Manchester City.
Wolverhampton Wanderers have endured a horrendous start to the 2024/25 season, sitting at the bottom of the Premier League table. Gary O’Neil’s charges have the worst defensive record in the top flight, conceding at least six more goals than any other club. In addition, goalscoring has been an issue, with the Black Country outfit managing only nine strikes thus far.
As for Manchester City, they are one of only two Premier League clubs yet to lose a game this season. However, Pep Guardiola’s men have dropped points twice thus far in the top flight, allowing Liverpool to capture the Premier League summit. However, a one-point gap will unlikely faze Guardiola and his winning machine.
The corresponding fixture last season produced a shocking result, with Wolverhampton Wanderers beating Manchester City 2-1 thanks to Hwang Hee-chan’s winner midway through the second half. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
Team News & Tactics
Wolverhampton Wanderers
Gary O’Neil has a new injury concern hampering his preparations ahead of his side’s latest fixture. Against Manchester City on Sunday, the Wolverhampton Wanderers manager will be bereft of the services of six first-team players.
Hwang Hee-chan is the latest absentee, with the South Korean attacker picking up an ankle injury during the international break. The 28-year-old has joined Yerson Mosquera, Boubacar Traore, Enso Gonzalez, Sasa Kalajdzic, and Bastien Meupiyou (match fitness) on the sidelines, with the other four recovering from knee injuries.
Sam Johnstone is an automatic pick between the sticks, with Wolverhampton Wanderers lining up in a 4-1-4-1 formation in front of him against Manchester City on Sunday. The backline will feature Nelson Semedo, Santiago Bueno, Toti Gomes, and Rayan Ait-Nouri.
As for the midfield unit, Andre will sit at the base, looking to keep things tight in the middle of the park. Mario Lemina and Joao Gomes will provide defensive support to Andre while initiating quick transitions. Finally, Jorgen Strand Larsen will lead the line for the home side, with Matheus Cunha and Jean-Ricner Bellegarde completing the numbers in the attacking unit.
Probable Lineup (4-1-4-1): Johnstone; Semedo, Bueno, Toti, Ait-Nouri; Andre; Bellegarde, Lemina, Gomes, Cunha; Larsen
Manchester City
Unlike his counterpart in the Wolverhampton Wanderers dugout, Pep Guardiola does not have any new issues to deal with ahead of the trip to Molineux. The Manchester City manager might be without four first-team players on Sunday.
Nathan Ake might return to the matchday squad after recovering from a hamstring injury. However, Guardiola will unlikely risk him this weekend, considering the opposition. Kevin De Bruyne has resumed training but will not return until next week. Meanwhile, Rodri (knee) and Oscar Bobb (leg) are long-term absentees.
Ederson Moraes will take his usual berth between the sticks, with Manchester City lining up in a 4-2-3-1 formation in front of him against Wolverhampton Wanderers on Sunday. The backline should feature Rico Lewis, Manuel Akanji, Ruben Dias, and Josko Gvardiol.
As for the midfield unit, Ilkay Gundogan will pair up with Mateo Kovacic in the double pivot, with Phil Foden reprising the no. 10 role. Jeremy Doku and Bernardo Silva will flank Foden, with Erling Haaland leading the line for the away side against Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Ederson; Lewis, Akanji, Dias, Gvardiol; Kovacic, Gundogan; Silva, Foden, Doku; Haaland
Key Stats
- Manchester City have won seven of their last eight Premier League meetings with Wolverhampton Wanderers, scoring 25 goals in those games. Their only defeat during that period was the 2-1 loss at Molineux last season. The Black Country outfit can win successive home league games against City for the first time since a run of three between 1982 and 1996.
- Wolverhampton Wanderers have failed to win their opening seven league games for the first time since the 2004/05 EFL Championship season. In addition, one point from seven matches is their joint-lowest tally at this stage of a season, along with 1926/27 and 1964/65.
- Manchester City can set a club record of 31 league games without defeat. Only on six occasions in English top-flight history has a side gone more than 30 matches without losing, most recently Liverpool’s run of 44 outings from January 2019 to February 2020.
- Wolverhampton Wanderers have conceded a league-high 21 goals this season. In addition, the hosts have not kept a clean sheet for 17 league matches since beating Sheffield United on 25 February.
- Manchester City have gone behind in four of their last six top-flight fixtures. However, they have recovered a league-high 10 points from losing positions this season. The champions have avoided defeat in their 11 most recent league matches in which they have trailed (W9 D2), the joint-longest run in Premier League history along with Arsenal in October 2004.
Player to Watch
Erling Haaland
Who else but Erling Haaland? The Norwegian international started the 2024/25 season with a bang, finding the back of the net for fun in his early outings this term. However, the goals have dried up, with none of Manchester City’s last five league strikes coming from the star striker. Interestingly, he had previously netted eight successive times for the reigning champions.
Meanwhile, Haaland has scored eight goals in only four league appearances against Wolves, averaging one every 40 minutes. Only one of those goals has come at Molineux. So, the 24-year-old will fancy his chances of ending his goal drought in the Premier League with a weekend blitzkrieg.
Prediction
Wolverhampton Wanderers 1-4 Manchester City
Wolverhampton Wanderers might have managed a shock win over Manchester City last season. However, a repeat act is unlikely, considering the home side’s defensive struggles. While Gary O’Neil’s charges will give a good account of themselves, that will not be enough to topple their visitors.
The defending champions have failed to keep a clean sheet in six league games since their 2-0 win at Chelsea on the opening weekend. That run will continue on Sunday, with Rodri’s absence making it difficult for Manchester City to keep a clean sheet, even against Wolverhampton Wanderers.
However, the home side will only manage a consolation goal, with The Hard Tackle predicting a 4-1 victory for Pep Guardiola and his charges. With Arsenal playing on Saturday, Manchester City might drop a spot in the standings. However, with Liverpool facing Chelsea later on Sunday, Guardiola’s men will fancy their prospects of returning to the Premier League summit.
