Wolves return to Molineux following the international break on Sunday having had a chance to reset ahead of facing one of their toughest tests yet in the form of last season’s Premier League champions.
1 | Roll Call
Gary O’Neil goes into Saturday’s game without the services off Hee Chan Hwang who is out for two to three weeks with an ankle ligament injury he picked up while representing South Korea. In the treatment room he joins Yerson Mosquera, Sasa Kalajdzic and Enson Gonzalez, who are all out for the long-term with ACL injuries. Aside from Hwang, the head coach reported no new injuries following the international period, so he’ll select from the same squad as Brentford, aside from the South Korean.
Man City manager Pep Guardiola looks set to be without the services of Nathan Ake and Kevin De Bruyne on Sunday. The influential De Bruyne has missed the past four matches with a thigh injury, and the Molineux trip is likely to come too soon. Ake has returned to training and Guardiola said “maybe he can travel” to Molineux but isn’t expected to be in from the start for the reigning champions. The head coach is already managing without Rodri in his midfield, after the Spaniard was ruled out for the season with an ACL injury. Youngster Oscar Bobb might too have played his final match of 2024, as he recovers from a broken leg.
2 | The Stat Pack
Goals
- Matheus Cunha | 3
- Erling Haaland | 11
Assists
- Jorgen Strand Larsen | 2
- Rico Lewis | 4
Biggest win
- Wolves 2-0 Burnley | August 2024
- Slovan Bratislava 0-4 Man City | October 2024
Cards
- Rayan Ait-Nouri | 3
- Ruben Dias | 4
Clean sheets
- Dan Bentley | 1
- Ederson | 2
3 | Journey to Saturday
It’s been a tough start to the season for Wolves so far, and those tests don’t stop with City the visitors to Molineux this Sunday. O’Neil’s side are yet to experience victory this term, with their form hitting a rough patch following the September international break, which saw the side fall to Newcastle United, Aston Villa, Liverpool and Brentford, as well as falling out the Carabao Cup to Brighton & Hove Albion. However, it’s not been through a lack of firepower in attack, with the Old Gold finding the net eight times in those five matches – but they have been leaking goals at the back, with no other team in the league conceding more than the 21 Wolves have shipped so far.
Man City, on the other hand, arrive at Molineux on the back of an unbeaten start to the new campaign, thanks to five wins and two draws from their opening Premier League fixtures. Not only that, but Guardiola’s men are also yet to taste defeat in any competition this season, having won the Community Shield on penalties, progressed into the Carabao Cup fourth round thanks to a win over Watford and put four past Slovan Bratislava in the Champions League group stages. However, City have shown they are susceptible in defence this season, having conceded in all but one of their Premier League outings, with the exception coming in a 2-0 opening day win over Chelsea.
4 | A festive fixture to remember against City
During the winter of 2019, Molineux witnessed one of the most remarkable comebacks of Wolves’ Premier League history, as Nuno Espirito Santo’s side fought back from two-nil down against the Manchester City juggernaut to claim all three December points. With 40 minutes of the final game of the last decade at Molineux, a pair of Raheem Sterling goals put City ahead – the first coming in controversial circumstances after VAR forced a penalty retake after Rui Patricio saved Sterling’s initial effort from the spot – before Adama Traore, Raul Jimenez and Matt Doherty completed what would one of the most unlikely turnarounds for the Old Gold.
Wolves | Patricio, Doherty, Dendoncker, Coady, Saiss, Jonny (Vinagre 73), Neves, Moutinho, Traore, Jota (Neto 79), Jimenez (Bennett 90).
Man City | Ederson, Walker, Fernandinho, Otamendi, Mendy, Rodrigo, De Bruyne (Gundogan 67), Silva, Mahrez (Garcia 46), Sterling, Aguero (Bravo 13).
