- Wolves was one of two teams to hold Manchester City goalless last season
- Man City has not dropped PL points since early February
- Man City is unbeaten in 12 PL games vs promoted sides under Guardiola
Wolves dominated the Championship last season, but has yet to win a Premier League match in its return to the English top flight. The task is monumental on Saturday as they host defending champions Manchester City on Saturday at 7:30 a.m. ET on NBCSN or live online at NBCSports.com.
City has looked as dominant as ever to start this season, outscoring its first two opponents Arsenal and Huddersfield Town 8-1. Five players have scored for the Citizens already this season, with Sergio Aguero’s three strikes leading the way.
[ LIVE STREAM: Wolves vs. Manchester City ]
However, Guardiola lost playmaker Kevin de Bruyne for three months with a knee injury, meaning the Man City boss has a few choices to select from. He could move Gabriel Jesus from the wing to the middle, bring Leroy Sane back into the squad in a playmaking role, or move Bernardo Silva from a wing-back position he has surprisingly excelled at of late.
The only other squad difficulty for Man City is the loss of backup goalkeeper Claudio Bravo who ruptured his Achilles tendon during training on Monday. That leaves either 20-year-old academy product Daniel Grimshaw or recalled 19-year-old Montenegrin Aro Muric as the backup to Ederson, with Joe Hart sold this summer.
For Wolves, they still don’t have new signing Leander Dendoncker who isn’t fit to play yet, but Adama Traore could make his debut start after coming on as a substitute in last weekend’s loss to Leicester City.
What they’re saying
Man City boss Pep Guardiola on Wolves: “Wolves destroyed the Championship. They had an incredible season. They play attractive football and attack with good players. We knew how tough it would be last season in the Carabao Cup and it was.”
Wolves boss Nuno on style of play: “We don’t know how to play any other way. There are two ways to react to what happened against Leicester. You react by changing or not. We will not change because we want to build something. It is more important than we keep doing the things that we train to do.”
Prediction
Despite the one point from two matches, Wolves is still a dangerous team and will make things difficult for Manchester City. This match will come down to the wire, and will end in a 1-1 draw as City adapts to play without Kevin de Bruyne.