Manchester City vs Wolverhampton. Prediction and Preview. Probable Lineups, Team News, Stats, and more

Manchester City will host Wolverhampton Wanderers FC in the English Premier League 36th-round match at the Etihad Stadium. The fixture will take place on Saturday, May 4, beginning at 22:00 IST.

Parimatch News will tell you everything you need to know ahead of the upcoming match.

Manchester City News & Current Form: 

Manchester City are determined to reclaim the championship for the fourth consecutive season. Currently, the Citizens sit in 2nd place in the Premier League table, trailing Arsenal FC by just one point with a game in hand and a relatively favorable schedule ahead.

Thus, the fate of the campaign lies firmly in the hands of Pep Guardiola’s men as they enter the final stretch. Moreover, the hosts have been unbeaten in the domestic league since early December, boasting 15 wins and 4 draws.

In the spring, the Mancunians have shown exceptional form, securing victories over Aston Villa FC (4:1), Crystal Palace FC (4:2), Luton Town FC (5:1), and Brighton & Hove Albion FC (4:0). By the 34th minute, thanks to a brace from Phil Foden and a goal from Kevin De Bruyne, the reigning English champions had effectively sealed the win.

Last weekend, Nottingham Forest FC proved unable to withstand the Blues, succumbing 0:2. Joško Gvardiol opened the scoring for City midway through the first half, while Erling Haaland marked his return from injury with a precise strike in the second half, less than 10 minutes after coming on as a substitute. In the Emirates FA Cup, Manchester recently dispatched Chelsea FC in the semi-finals and will soon face Manchester United FC in the decisive round.

The semi-final match was closely contested, with both teams having chances to win, but it was the Manchester side who capitalized on one of the few opportunities to secure victory in the closing stages of the encounter. Bernardo Silva was the hero, scoring the winning goal in the 84th minute.

However, their UEFA Champions League ambitions were dashed after the second leg against Real Madrid CF ended in a penalty shootout victory for the Spaniards. Nevertheless, the men of Pep Guardiola are not going to relent on the two remaining fronts – English Premier League and FA Cup. Manchester City have yet to concede a goal in three matches since their continental setback.

In terms of statistics, the Citizens possess a formidable attack, having scored 82 goals in 34 league games (an average of 2.41 per 90 minutes) — the second-highest in the league, behind only Arsenal (85), who have played an extra match. The team has particularly excelled in the last five matches, finding the net 19 times and only failing to score four or more goals on one occasion.

Goalie of Manchester City Ederson is likely to be out for the rest of the season

The Premier League’s top scorer, Haaland, currently plies his trade at the Etihad Stadium, having notched up 21 goals. Despite this, the Norwegian has faced criticism, although he has scored in each of his last three Premier League outings.

The coaching staff will be without Ruben Dias and Foden, who missed the Forest match due to illness. Additionally, first-choice goalkeeper Ederson sustained an injury in the last game and may miss the rest of the season. Will Stefan Ortega step in to replace his colleague? Haaland is sure to return to the starting lineup and lead the attack, while in midfield, we can expect to see Rodri, De Bruyne and Silva.

Wolverhampton News & Current Form: 

Wolverhampton comfortably sit in the bottom half of the league table, occupying the 11th position, and in the final three rounds, they have no real tasks at hand. The lack of motivation has been keenly felt recently: after the international break in March, proteges of Gary O’Neil endured six matches without a win (two draws and four defeats). Additionally, they were knocked out in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup by Coventry City FC from the Championship.

Tommy Doyle will miss the upcoming match as he cant play against his parent club while on loan

Last weekend, they finally pulled themselves together: with the support of their fans, the Black and Yellows overcame Luton (2:1). Hwang Hee-chan opened the scoring, netting his first league goal since December, while Toti Gomes doubled Wolves’ advantage five minutes into the second half.

It’s important to note that O’Neil’s side has failed to secure a victory in any of their last four away matches and will conclude the campaign with arguably two of the toughest duels in the Premier League – against Manchester City and Liverpool FC. Furthermore, the visitors have lost 18 out of their last 20 away matches in the Premier League against teams in the top two. Moreover, Wolves are struggling with goals, having only scored 48 times in 35 matches – only five teams in the league have worse records.

Wolverhampton are missing key winger Pedro Neto (2 goals and 9 assists), forward Leon Chiwome, winger Noha Lemina, and defender Hugo Bueno – all sidelined due to injury. Finally, midfielder Jean-Ricner Bellegarde is also recovering in the infirmary. The attacking duo of the team may consist of Matheus Cunha and Hwang Hee-chan, while on loan from Manchester City, Tommy Doyle won’t be able to participate in the match against his parent club. Nelson Semedo has played as a right center-back in the last two matches and may retain his place in the defensive trio.

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Manchester City form guide: D-W-L-W-W-W

Wolverhampton form guide: D-L-D-L-L-W

Manchester City vs Wolverhampton Head-To-Head Record:

• September 17, 2022: Wolverhampton 0 – 3 Manchester City (Premier League);
• January 22, 2023: Manchester City 3 – 0 Wolverhampton (Premier League);
• September 30, 2023: Wolverhampton 2 – 1 Manchester City (Premier League).

Manchester City vs Wolverhampton Predicted XI:

Manchester City’s possible starting lineup (4-1-4-1): Ortega; Walker, Stones, Dias, Gvardiol; Rodri; Bernardo, De Bruyne, Foden, Grealish; Haaland.

Wolverhampton’s possible starting lineup (4-5-1): Sa; Semedo, Kilman, Toti; Doherty, Lemina, Gomes, Traore, Ait-Nouri; Cunha, Hwang.

Statistical preview of the match Manchester City vs Wolverhampton:

• City’s First XI average age is 28.6 years, Wolves’ First XI average age is 27.2 years.
• The total value of Manchester’s squad is 1.27 bln euros, while the total of Wolves comes up to 339 mln euros.
• Craig Pawson has been appointed as the center referee. The match official has already served twenty six games this season, showing an average of 4.65 yellow cards and also whistles 23 fouls per game. 
• City have not lost in 19 consecutive games in the Premier League (15 wins and 4 draws).
• At least four goals have been scored in 4 of Manchester City’s 5 previous games in the league.
• The Mancunians have a 28-match winless streak on their field in the EPL (22 wins and 6 draws).
• The team’s top scorer is Erling Haaland, who scored 32 goals in 40 matches.
• No more than three goals have been scored in 11 of Wolverhampton’s last 12 Premier League games. On the road the club has a 4-match winless streak in the EPL (2 draws and 2 defeats). 
• Wolves’ top scorer is Matheus Cunha with 13 goals in 33 games.
• Manchester City have not lost in 6 of their last 8 matches against this opponent.
• Wolverhampton are scoring an average of 1.00 goals per game in their last 5 games and conceding an average of 1.60 goals per game.
• In the last 5 games, Manchester City conceded an average of 0.40 goals per game and scored an average of 2.60 goals per game.

What has been said before the match:

City gaffer Pep Guardiola on finishing the season on a high note:

“We have to prove it tomorrow against Wolves and then in the next games. We know we have to win and get all 12 points, otherwise it will be difficult because Arsenal are so strong, and so consistent. It’s difficult to drop points.”

“It depends on us. It’s tomorrow and then three games in one week. No more complicated than that to analyze. I would love to say what we have done in the past is going to happen this season but nobody knows.”

“It was probably the first time that we managed to execute a detailed game plan. For the buy-in and belief from the players, to see something we worked hard to help them and help us get a fantastic result, that helps when you’re trying to change culture and get results. Even if it wasn’t against Manchester City, we needed at least one in that early part where the game went how we wanted it to and how we told the players it would.

Gary O’Neil, coach of the Wolves, about facing the best team in the league:

“For it to be against them obviously gave everyone a real lift, and off the back of a tough result in the cup that week, it was a big boost for everybody. A moment I’m sure I’ll remember, you always remember your first big win at any club, and beating Manchester City and Pep Guardiola doesn’t come around very often. A big moment for us, but it won’t help us much tomorrow, I’m sure they’ll be keen to put that right and try to win the league for the fourth consecutive season which is incredible.

“We’re facing potentially the best team in Premier League history, so it’ll be a real test for us, but I’m really looking forward to it. I spoke to the players about looking forward to the challenge because that’s the benchmark. It’s the ultimate test of where we are and I’m looking forward to seeing how we cope.”

“Everybody’s pretty aware of how good they are in the run-in. It’s at the Etihad, the title’s on the line for them, so they probably don’t feel like they can make a slip, with Arsenal breathing down their necks. They’ll be expecting to need 12 points to get it done and we go there to give everything we can.”

“Of course, Manchester City have a huge drive for this game because of the title race they’re involved in, but three points or a point would be massive for us, with trying to finish as high as possible, so we’re really focused. We understand how difficult it will be against them. I know they lost on penalties, but they are the best team in Europe, in my opinion, but we’ll try and find a way to come out on top.”

Manchester City vs Wolverhampton Prediction:

Manchester City, unfettered by any other objectives but domestic ones, are required to deal comfortably with an opponent that is noticeably inferior to them in terms of squad quality, motivation and the level of football on show. In the last five matches Wolves have managed to beat only a clear underdog that is struggling for survival in the top flight, while Manchester City are on an all-smashing run, having won their last five matches with a total score of 19:4. Their motivation is off the charts, as in case of a slip-up they may lose the title hopes, and the Citizens definitely want to take revenge on Wolverhampton for the bitter defeat in the first round (2:1). The Sky Blue’s recent matches in the Premier League have been very entertaining, with the Citizens netting at least four goals in four of their five matches, although they conceded in three of them. Wolverhampton Wanderers, on the other hand, look shaky in defense – they have not registered a clean sheet for 10 games in the league, conceding an average of 1.8 goals per game. Pep Guardiola’s men are expected to tear apart the opponents’ defense at home, especially since they will be missing their head coach, Gary O’Neil, who has been suspended after being found guilty of improper conduct in the recent home defeat by West Ham. 

Parimatch News staff prediction:

We say: Manchester City will win and the match total will be over 3.5 – Yes.

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