Wolves v Man City – Preview, Predictions, and Best Bets

Wolves host Man City at Molineux on Wednesday night in the English Premier League. The hosts are winless in four league matches and have lost seven of their last 11. Pep Guardiola’s side are unbeaten in their last 16 away Premier League away matches (13 wins). They know they need to win this match to restore a three-point lead at the top having seen Liverpool draw level on points with a win on Tuesday.

Wolves Form

Wolves looked an outside bet for the top four in February after a run of six wins in eight matches. Their last 11 matches have brought seven defeats and just two wins, giving them the fourth-fewest points in the division in that time.

There have been some especially poor performances and results of late. They led 2-0 at home vs Leeds only to lose 3-2. They were beaten 1-0 at Newcastle and 1-0 at Burnley before a 3-0 home thrashing by Brighton. The side rediscovered their fighting spirit in their last match, coming from 2-0 down after 78 minutes to draw 2-2 at Chelsea.

Wolves Team News

Bruno Lage could hand a start to young Portuguese winger Chiquinho, who has three assists in just 69 minutes of pitch time so far. Wolves have three regular starters missing in Daniel Podence, Max Kilman, and Nelson Semedo. Romain Saiss hobbled off injured at Chelsea and is touch-and-go.

Trincao netted off the bench in the last match and looks likely to start with Pedro Neto not expected to start twice in a row after a long-term injury. Fernando Marcal and Ki-Jana However are possible options to freshen up the wingback areas.

Wolves Motivation

The Midlands club have looked “on the beach” in recent months and it was a surprise to see them summon a strong display and comeback at Stamford Bridge.

They will probably be pretty defensive in this one and try to play on the break. Coach Bruno Lage has COVID-19 and may not be on the bench, which won’t help to keep Wolves on their toes. The focus here could be on avoiding a thrashing.

Man City Form

City are in incredible Premier League form with 13 wins in their last 16 away matches. Their last 29 matches in all competitions have seen two losses, as both defeats potentially cost them silverware. Guardiola’s side were beaten 3-2 by Liverpool in the FA Cup final and 3-1 away to Real Madrid after a dramatic late collapse.

Before that loss in Madrid, it was four wins in a row including a 5-1 thrashing of Watford and a 4-3 first leg home win against the Spanish giants. Their two most recent league matches have seen a 4-0 win at Leeds and a 5-0 home win against Newcastle on Sunday.

Man City Team News

City are set to play out the rest of the season with three key defenders in John Stones, Kyle Walker, and Ruben Dias. Nathan Ake is expected to partner Aymeric Laporte although the vastly experienced Fernandinho is another option. Ake or Oleksandr Zinchenko will be at left back.

Guardiola is likely to keep rotating his front five. Phil Foden and Riyad Mahrez didn’t start last time out and should come in. Gabriel Jesus could get a breather and Kevin De Bruyne may not be risked as he is playing on painkillers of late.

Man City Motivation

City will be very motivated to take the victory here having seen Liverpool win the night before. They responded to this pressure well over the weekend when playing after Liverpool but the Reds had dropped points.

Goal difference is also a major factor in the title race and City may look for a goal by a big margin to pull away from Liverpool on that front.

Key Stats

Wolves have lost 7 of their last 11 PL matches

Wolves have failed to score in 6 of their last 11 home PL matches

City have won 20 of their last 24 PL matches (L1, D3)

Man City have kept 5 away clean sheets in a row

City have lost 2 of their last 29 matches (all comps)

City have won 13 of their last 16 away PL matches (5 clean sheets in 5 on the road)

Verdict

City should have too much for a Wolves side who look disinterested of late, leaking plenty of scoring very few. A win to nil is a good tip considering Man City’s strong away defensive record. A win on the spread also looks like a solid tip.

Best Bet: Man City win to nil at 1.90
Value Bet: Man City win (-2 spread) at 3.00
Multiplier Leg: Man City win/draw double chance and over 2.5 goals at 1.74

James O'Connor

James is a football analyst who writes about the tactics of the PSL and English Premier League. He holds the UEFA A coaching licence and has previously worked for several clubs in analysis roles.Twitter: https://twitter.com/footy_analysis