Wolverhampton Wanderers v Manchester City: Head to Head

Manchester City travel to Molineux looking for their seventh straight win in the Premier League, whilst also aiming to put the disappointment of Wednesday’s League Cup defeat behind them.

They face a Wolves side that look like they’re ready for a long, hard battle against relegation, but will also look to avenge their midweek defeat to Ipswich by becoming the first team to take points off the blues this season.

Historically, this has been a fixture of mixed results for both sides. Here’s what the stats say.

Premier League Meetings Hit Double Figures

Saturday’s match is only the tenth time these two have met in the Premier League since its creation in 1992, with most of their meetings coming in the old Second Division.

City have won the last three at Molineux, with an aggregate score of 11-2. Last season, the blues ran out 3-0 winners, while the previous visit saw Kevin de Bruyne hit four as City crushed Wolves 5-1.

It’s not the first time in recent years that City have hit five at Wolves - in October 2011, Roberto Mancini’s blues hammered Wolves 5-2 in a League Cup tie. In the Premier League era, City have won seven two Wolves’ six, with just two draws.

Goalless Draw? Not Likely

There are always goals in this fixture which means the chances of a goalless draw are slim at best. Add to that, the fact that there have only been three goalless draws at Molineux since their first meeting in 1900 means there’s little chance of it happening on Saturday.

In fact, these two teams have shared 239 goals between them since that first match, 64 matches ago, an average of four goals per game! From those goals scored, 99 have gone to City, with Wolves bagging 140.

City’s defence did give Wolves a helping hand many hears ago. The blues have twice conceded eight goals (8-0 in December 1933 and 8-1 in August 1962), twice conceded seven goals (7-3 in November 1952 and 7-2 in August 1955) and twice conceded five goals (5-1 in August 1956 and again in March 1973).

City’s tally has been helped with a 6-1 win in March 1904 and hitting five twice, as mentioned above.

The blues have kept just 12 clean sheets, while failing to score on just 15 occasions themselves. Between January 1906 and August 1965, City failed to keep a clean sheet, a run spanning 28 matches with Wolves scoring on each occasion. During this period, the blues shipped an incredible 93 goals, while scoring just 39.

Winning and Losing Streaks

Between December 1933 and August 1962, City endured their worst-ever run against Wolves. Over 21 matches, the blues failed to win a single match, and lost 17, including a run of six consecutive defeats.

By comparison, City’s longest unbeaten run is just five matches, achieved between November 1975 and April 1981, winning three and drawing two.

One For The Superstitious

If you’re the superstitious type, you’ll love this stat. The blue have travelled to Molineux three times in September and have won two. Both wins have seen City score three goals (3-1 in 2020 and 3-0 in 2022). The only defeat came in 1984, when Wolves won 2-0.