Wolverhampton Wanderers vs Manchester City, Premier League Matchday 3: Team News, Preview and Prediction

Competition/Round: 2018/19 English Premier League Season – Matchday 3

Date/Time: Wolverhampton Wanderers vs Manchester City – Saturday, 25 August 2018, 12:30 BST/WAT (UK & Nigeria); 07:30 EST, 04:30 PST (USA); 16:30 IST (India)

Venue: Molineux Stadium, Wolverhampton, England, United Kingdom

Match Officials:

Referee: Martin Atkinson

Assistants: Stephen Child, Constantine Hatzidakis

Fourth Official: Stuart Attwell

TV Info: Sky Sports Premier League (UK), NBCSN (USA)

Live Stream: Sky Go (UK); NBC Sports Live (USA)

Preview:

After a six-year year absence, Wolverhampton Wanderers have returned to the English Premier League. The former Championship side won England’s second division last season, and after a busy Summer 2018 Transfer Window, the Wolves are ready to compete in this season’s EPL.

Their return has not been fortuitous. The Wolves opened their 2018/19 campaign with a match against Everton, where they drew 2-2. After this difficult affair, they then registered their first loss of the season with their match against Leicester City. In other words, it has been a slow start for Wolverhampton.

Manchester City, however, have a different story. Following a victory over Arsenal aon the first day of the season, the Blues thrashed relegation-favourites Huddersfield Town. With some momentum and the back-to-back wins, the Blues will hope to replicate a similar state of affairs in Wolverhampton on Saturday.

Team News:

The Wolves are without Ivan Cavaleiro, who is still recovering from a back problem. Goalkeeper Harry Burgoyne, who sustained an injury during the preseason, is also unavailable.

Meanwhile, the Blues have faced some unexpected dilemmas. Claudio Bravo joins teammate Kevin De Bruyne on the sidelines as the Chilean goalkeeper sustained a serious injury during a training session earlier this week. Whilst De Bruyne will be sidelined for a few months, it is speculated Bravo could be out for the entire season.

Possible Lineups:

Wolverhampton Wanderers

Formation: 3-4-3

Patrício; Boly, Coady, Bennett; Jonny, Moutinho, Neves, Doherty; Jota, Jiménez, Costa

Manager: Nuno Espírito Santo

Manchester City

Formation: 4-2-3-1

Ederson; Walker, Stones, Laporte, Mendy; Fernandinho, Gündoğan; Sterling, D. Silva, B. Silva; Agüero

Manager: Pep Guardiola

Prediction:

Overall, Wolverhampton have struggled to secure their footing in the EPL. The Wolves can turn to recent history, however, if they are to create an upset. Wolves fans will fondly remember their EPL encounter in October 2010, where they won 2-1. More recently, the Wolves held the Blues to a 0-0 draw in the EFL Cup last season (albeit eventually lost on penalties). Given some of these recent results, Wolverhampton surely have the talent to cause an upset.

The Blues, however, will be very difficult to break down. Over the past two matches they have only conceded once whilst scoring on eight occasions. They are still not at their best, but at the moment City look unstoppable.

Therefore, it is predicted this will be a cagey affair, but ultimately, the current Champions will prevail.

Wolverhampton Wanderers 1-2 Manchester City