Preview: Wolves – Manchester City

Wolverhampton Wanderers conceded five goals in their last match before the international break, and now have just one point from their first seven games. This is the club's worst season start in 60 years, and parts of the fanbase are already calling for a managerial change, as is often the case when things aren't going well. However, they might be a bit premature this time, as no team in the Premier League has faced a tougher opening schedule.

Toughest Schedule of All

The season opener was played away against an Arsenal team that remains unbeaten and is eyeing both the Premier League and Champions League trophies. The first home game was against Chelsea, who are riding high after continued billion-dollar signings and a new manager in place. Wolves suffered a 6-2 defeat at Molineux, but the statistics for chances created were quite evenly matched – and Chelsea had anything but luck on their side that afternoon.

The next home game was against the oil-rich Newcastle, and despite a 1-2 loss, Wolves experienced a significant amount of bad luck. In the derby against high-flying Aston Villa, they took the lead and were heading for points until the very last minute, when Villa scored twice in quick succession. At home against league leaders Liverpool, Wolves also seemed on course for a point before Liverpool secured victory with a late – and perhaps a slightly soft – penalty.

Wolves have already faced the teams ranked 1st, 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 7th in the Premier League table before this weekend's clash with the second-placed and reigning champions Manchester City. Everything points to Wolves ending up with one point from their first nine games (even though they beat City at Molineux last season), but there's no real reason to cry wolf just yet. Yes, there are defensive challenges, but there are actually teams with bigger concerns than Wolves.

Fortunate City

While Wolves have faced nearly all the top teams, Manchester City have met just one newly promoted side and three from the bottom half. In their last match, they hosted Fulham, and only narrowly avoided disaster. Fulham winger Adama Traore had three one-on-ones with Ederson but couldn’t quite find the finishing touch.

The visitors at the Etihad also took the lead, and although the home side turned it around to lead 3-1, there were signs of serious concern when Rodrigo Muniz reduced the deficit to 2-3 just before the final whistle. The absence of Rodri was painfully obvious, despite the fact that his replacement, Mateo Kovacic, scored two of City's three goals.

“It was tight, even, and intense, with chances for both sides. We had to do our best to handle a very good Fulham team, but luckily, we succeeded in the end,” said a slightly sweaty Pep Guardiola to the English press after the match.

Rodri won’t be seen again this season, but there's at least hope that Kevin De Bruyne will be back in the fold – as soon as he returns from his increasingly frequent injury absences.

Hope Remains

Seven of the last eight Premier League encounters between Wolverhampton and Manchester City have ended in City wins, most recently with a 5-1 victory for the home side in Manchester in May. However, the last time the teams met at Molineux, it was Wolves who came out on top, with Hee-chan Hwang scoring the winning goal in a 2-1 victory, much to the delight of the ecstatic Wolves fans. The home supporters aren’t as satisfied ahead of kickoff this time, but they’re likely more worried than they need to be. Better days will surely follow, as long as they don't throw both hope and the manager under the bus too soon.

Wolves vs. Manchester City

One point from seven games is Wolves' worst season start since 1965, and they are also at risk of losing all their first four home games for the first time ever. They've won only one of their last 27 league matches and have gone 17 straight without keeping a clean sheet. Enso Gonzalez, Sasa Kalajdzic, Yerson Mosquera, Boubacar Traore, and Hwang Hee-chan will miss Sunday’s game.

Manchester City are unbeaten in their last 30 Premier League games but have fallen behind in four of their last six. Since their 2-0 victory over Chelsea in the season opener, the Sky Blues haven't kept a clean sheet. Erling Braut Haaland has scored eight goals in four matches against Wolves. City will be without Kevin De Bruyne, Rodri, and Oscar Bobb on Sunday, while Nathan Ake remains doubtful.

Betting Tips

Manchester City have won seven of their last eight against Wolves and will likely win again, but away odds under 1.30 aren’t very exciting. As mentioned, City have fallen behind in four of their last six games, so we’ll try a speculative bet on the same happening on Sunday. There's odds of four times the money on Wolves taking the lead at Molineux.