Wolverhampton Wanderers FC vs Manchester City FC, English Premier League 2024-25, Today Match Prediction

Wolverhampton Wanderers FC vs Manchester City FC Match Prediction & Analysis

In gameweek eight of the Premier League 2024/25, the reigning champions travel to the West Midlands to face the hosts, Wolverhampton Wanderers, on Sunday, October 20th, at 6:30 p.m. IST. Manchester City, who narrowly escaped a points drop at the Etihad Stadium against Fulham before the international break (3-2), will be aiming for a convincing victory against a struggling Wolverhampton team. Meanwhile, the hosts will need a miracle to overcome City based on their current form. In their previous encounter, they lost 2-5 at Brentford and suffered their fifth consecutive defeat of the season.

Current Standings: Manchester City currently sits in the 2nd position in the table with 17 points, while Wolverhampton occupies the last position with just 1 point. 

Head-to-Head Record: As one expects, City has been the dominant side in this rivalry with 13 wins and 5 losses in 20 games. 

TEAMS PREVIEW

Wolverhampton Wanderers FC Preview

The Wolves have had a horrible campaign thus far, sitting at the bottom of the standings after seven games with only one point. Furthermore, Gary O'Neill's team has had a difficult schedule to deal with, facing teams such as Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, and Villa. Now they will go against the titan, Manchester City. However, it is to be assumed that they could not have chosen a better time to face City without Rodri, and for the first time in two games, Haaland has failed to score.

21 goals in seven games, five in the past game, and six from set pieces are not the stats you want to see when facing a side like Manchester City. They clearly miss Max Kilman's presence in defence as well as Pedro Neto's expertise, both of whom left the club before the start of the 2024/25 season. 

Tactics 

O'Neill has been persistent with the 4-1-4-1 formation for the past couple of games. And clearly it hasn't worked. Maybe they can look back at the game played between Fulham and City, thus thinking of deploying a 4-4-2 formation with Hwang Hee-Chan and Jørgen Strand Larsen leading the attack. 

Stats That Matter 

Wolverhampton Wanderers are ranked 13th in ball possession with 47% averaging 11.3 shots per game. The Wolves score an average of 1.29 goals per match with a shooting accuracy of 35%. Matheus Cunha is the top scorer with 3 goals. Rayan Ait Nouri and Jorgen Strand Larsen have also scored 2 goals each this season. The team has an average of 3.6 saves per game, the 8th best in the season. They have conceded an average of 3 goals per match.

 Wolverhampton Probable XI - Sam (Goalkeeper); Semedo, Dawson, Toti, Aït-Nouri (Defenders); Andre, Lemina, J. Gomes, Cunha (Midfielders); Hwang, Strand Larsen (Forwards)

Manchester City FC Preview

The last few games haven't gone as planned for Guardiola. City has won only one of their last four games across all competitions. That said, they are yet to lose a game this season. However, in a league where championship winners are determined by a two-point difference, all of these draws could come back to haunt them in the future. 

City not the same without Rodri

Rodri is the glue that ties City's defence together. Without him, they've been susceptible in the midfield, allowing the opponent to put a through ball over the line. Like for instance, Adama Traroe took advantage of the space in their most recent game, and Anthony Gordon broke through the defence to win a penalty the week before. Coincidentally, the Citizens have conceded five of their eight goals in the last three games, which Rodri has missed. 

Tactics and changes

Guardiola used a 4-1-4-1 formation against Fulham, with Kovacic playing in the holding midfield position. However, against the Wolves, he may opt for a 4-3-3 shape, relying on the press to push the Wolves back, especially given their defensive troubles. Meanwhile, City has some good news about an injury update: Kevin De Bruyne is set to return against the Wolves. 

Stats That Matter 

Manchester City are ranked first in ball possession with 64% averaging 19.3 shots per game. The Cityzens score an average of 2.43 goals per match with a shooting accuracy of 36%. Erling Braut Haland is the top scorer with 10 goals. Mateo Kovacic has also scored 3 goals this season. The team has an average of 2.3 saves per game, the third worst in the season. They have conceded an average of 1.14 goals per match.

Manchester City Probable XI - Ederson (GK); Gvardiol, Dias, Akanji, Lewis (Defenders); Kovacic, De Bruyne, Gundogan (Midfielders) ; Haaland, Silva,  Doku/Grealish (Forwards)

WOLVERHAMPTON WANDERERS FC vs MANCHESTER CITY FC
Winning Prediction

Wolves face a tough challenge when they meet Manchester City on Sunday at the Molineux Stadium. However, they can draw confidence from their victory over City in their previous meeting at the Molineux Stadium, a game that City played without Rodri. Despite this, Wolves are the only team that has lost all of their home games this season. An xG of 3/3.5 is expected for the encounter, given that City has scored 25 goals in the last eight games against Wolves.

Manchester City to Win (1-2)

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