- Man City (38 points) sit 3rd in PL table
- Wolves (27 points) sit 8th
- Last meeting: Man City 0-2 Wolves
At this point, there is virtually no race for the Premier League title, as Liverpool should waltz to their first domestic crown since 1990. Pep Guardiola has even said so himself. If the Reds were to slip up, however, the onus would then fall on Manchester City to make things interesting.
While the likelihood of Liverpool falling short seems unlikely given their current record-setting pace, Man City can move back into second place and cut the gap between the two sides to 11 points with a win over Wolverhampton Wanderers at Molineux Stadium on Friday (Watch live, 2:45 p.m. ET on NBCSN and NBCSports.com).
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As for Wolves, Nuno Espirito Santo’s side can climb as high as fifth with a victory over the two-time defending champions. After starting the season slowly (no wins from their first six game — 0W-4D-2L), last season’s seventh-place finishers are back for another crack at the PL’s top-six. This time — thanks to Arsenal’s horrid struggles, Tottenham Hotspur’s regression and Manchester United’s continued mediocrity — Wolves look the best bet to become the first side to break into the top-six since Leicester City won the title in 2016.
Injuries/suspensions
Man City: OUT - John Stones (hamstring), David Silva (leg), Aymeric Laporte (knee), Leroy Sane (knee)
Wolves: OUT - Willy Boly (ankle), Morgan Gibbs-White (back)
Projected lineups
Man City: Ederson — Walker, Otamendi, Fernandinho, Mendy — Rodrigo, Gundogan — Mahrez, De Bruyne, Sterling — Jesus
Wolves: Patricio — Dendoncker, Coady, Saiss — Doherty, Neves, Moutinho, Jonny — Traore, Jimenez, Jota
What they’re saying
Guardiola, on Liverpool’s form: “When a team has 16 victories from 17 [games], it’s unrealistic to think we are going to chase them. It’s unrealistic right now. We have to try to win our games, secure Champions League for next season and then you never know, no? ‘If they drop a couple of games, and we win and win, I don’t know. When one team lose one game in the last 53 or 54, I’m not optimistic that they are going to lose four or five in ten or eleven games because they are incredibly strong.”
Nuno, on a packed schedule: “It’s going to be very tough, I think all of the managers are concerned and rightly so. I’m particularly concerned because I’ve been saying this; the schedule doesn’t make sense, it’s absurd. For all the teams. Of course, there are teams that have three days [between matches], but I don’t know the particular reason why it’s us as Wolves who have less hours, but it’s a concern for all the managers and for all the players. We have to survive. We have to survive. Let’s see what happens. We will train tomorrow, then we prepare to play Man City, and we’ll see. Let’s try and survive.”
Prediction
After a brief period of up-and-down results, Man City looked to be back to their best in dismantling Leicester City last weekend. Now, Sergio Aguero is back in action after missing four games due to a thigh injury, which makes Wolves’ task that much taller. However, if there’s a side that’s built to react and counter against 60 percent of possession, as City will have, it might be Wolves. It’ll be a challenge for City, but they’ll come out on top in the end. Wolves 1-2 Man City.