🔊 How well-prepared are Manchester City as they head into the new season following the Club World Cup? Pep Guardiola's side are set for an away trip to Wolverhampton at Molineux on August 16. In our prediction, we aim to assess how the integration of City's new signings will impact their style of play and whether Wolves can adapt to it.

Head-to-Head

📊 In their last 10 Premier League encounters, Wolverhampton have celebrated victory only once. The other nine matches ended with Manchester City triumphing, with five of those being emphatic wins.

Wolverhampton Wanderers Team Overview

🐺 Wolverhampton spent the entire previous season in the Premier League's "basement." Despite a six-match winning streak from March to April, they faltered at the finish, ending up in 16th place. Their best domestic achievement was reaching the FA Cup's Round of 16, where they fell to Bournemouth in a penalty shootout. In pre-season friendlies, Vítor Pereira's side managed only a draw against Stoke City at 1-1, losing other matches to Lens, Girona, and Celta Vigo.

📝 During the off-season, the Wolves lost key players: top scorer over the past two years Matheus Cunha, defenders Rayan Aït-Nouri and Nélson Semedo, as well as forward Pablo Sarabia. The club managed to earn €111 million from the sales of the first two, while the others left on free transfers. With these funds, they acquired defender David Wolf, midfielder Fernando Lopez, and forwards John Arias and Jørgen Larsen. Larsen had spent last season on loan at Wolverhampton, impressing with 14 goals and 4 assists in 35 matches, earning himself a permanent move for €27 million.

Manchester City Team Overview

⚪️ Manchester City, despite enduring a prolonged winter slump, finished the Premier League season in their characteristic strong fashion. A 10-match unbeaten streak propelled them from 6th to 3rd place. Their sole defeat in this period came in the FA Cup final against Crystal Palace, losing 0-1. In the Champions League, the 'Citizens' exited in the first knockout round, falling to Real Madrid. Their Club World Cup campaign ended similarly, as they were knocked out by Al-Hilal (3-4 after extra time) in their first post-group stage match. Over the summer, the 'Sheikhs' played just one match, securing an away victory over Palermo (3-0).

📝 In the transfer window, Manchester City refrained from their usual spree, instead acquiring potentially foundational players. They signed defender Rayan Aït-Nouri (€36.8 million from Wolverhampton), midfielders Tijjani Reijnders (€55 million from AC Milan) and Rayan Cherki (€36.5 million from Lyon). This strategy was intentional, as they parted ways with long-standing stalwarts like Kevin De Bruyne, Kyle Walker, and even locker room leader Scott Carson. Jack Grealish was loaned to Everton for a 'second youth', while Vitor Reis was sent to Girona to gain experience.

Latest news

Wolverhampton Wanderers

🎙 "It's incredibly exciting, especially here at home. City are one of the best teams in the world, and Guardiola is one of the top managers globally. My main goal is to do everything possible to help the team win. I thrive on big matches," said the team's newcomer, Jorgen Larsen, about the upcoming clash.

❌ The "Wolves" have two injured players from the reserve squad, but they are unlikely to impact the overall outcome of the upcoming match.

Manchester City

🎙 Rumors continue to swirl about a potential goalkeeper swap at Manchester City. According to media reports, Galatasaray are keen on acquiring Ederson, with Gianluigi Donnarumma set to replace him. "The Premier League is the right step for Gigio, in my opinion. We're working on it. We have no negotiations with Italian clubs. We're still shocked by PSG's behavior," commented Enzo Raiola, the agent of Italy's national team goalkeeper, on Donnarumma's future.

❌ Midfielder Mateo Kovacic will definitely miss the match after suffering an Achilles injury before the Club World Cup, with a return not expected before September or October. Rodri also picked up a groin injury at the same tournament. However, he and Phil Foden, who missed the game against Palermo due to discomfort from an ankle knock, are already training with the main group.

🟨 Referee and Yellow Cards

🟨 Referee and Yellow Cards

The match will be officiated by Australian referee Jarred Gillett. His average yellow card count over the last 10 Premier League matches stands at 4.1. The upcoming opponents have similar stats: Manchester City have seen under 4.5 yellows in six consecutive games, while Wolverhampton have received fewer than 2.5 in 11 of their last 12 home fixtures.

In head-to-head encounters, these teams haven't been overly aggressive, averaging just 3.25 cautions across eight meetings. City's individual stat in this department is notably low, with fewer than 1.5 cards in six of their last seven games against Wolves. We believe City's players are more prone to fouls due to their aggressive play, so we predict a win for Wolverhampton in yellow cards.

⚽️ Goals Prediction

City's low scoring last season was attributed to a poor winter period. However, they scored less than three goals only once in the Club World Cup, and that was due to a red card (2-0 win over Wydad). Looking at head-to-head stats, more than two goals were scored in six of the last seven encounters. On Saturday, we anticipate an exciting match and to increase this likelihood, we'll bet on over 2.5 goals.

🚩 Corners Prediction

To assess who might dominate the corner flags, let's look back at last season's Premier League: Wolverhampton consistently delivered more corners than their opponents in four of their last five matches, achieving no fewer than four each time. A fuller picture of Manchester's revamped squad comes from the Club World Cup, where they earned 43 set-pieces over four matches. In their last head-to-head clash, the teams approached the corner flags nine times, and in an earlier season game, it was 19. We suggest maintaining this trend and opting for over 9 total corners.

Bookmakers are nearly four times more confident in Manchester City securing a win, and these odds come as no surprise. Even during a challenging season, the "Citizens" managed to defeat Wolverhampton twice. Moreover, with Wolves' best defender now in City's ranks, they likely have gained some valuable insights into their opponents' attack strategies. City's revamped midfield has already proven its worth in the U.S. tournament and a friendly in Italy. The team has scored over 1.5 goals in six consecutive matches, and we expect them to find the net at least twice at Molineux—predicting a 2-0 victory. The appealing early-season odds suggest a comfortable bet on Manchester City to win with a handicap (-1).