WOLVERHAMPTON – MANCHESTER CITY | Saturday 1.30pm
An acrobatic goal from the usual Haaland allowed Pep Guardiola and his Manchester City side to bring home a Champions League match against Borussia Dortmund – the former team of the Citizens’ relentless Norwegian slinger – that had become decidedly complicated. The Leeds native’s umpteenth goal masked the difficulties the reigning English champions had in getting to grips with the Gialloneri, who had taken the lead through Englishman Bellingham. The Catalan coach’s men’s final forcing was decisive, and they were able to turn it around in just four minutes in a fiery finale.
A victory that allowed City to mortgage their qualification to the round of 16 after a 4-0 defeat of Sevilla on matchday one. And in the Premier? Before the stop for the death of the Queen, De Bruyne and his teammates had been stopped by Aston Villa, slowing down their race towards the top of the table, momentarily occupied by Arsenal. The Citizens will attempt another assault this weekend, although the task is not the easiest. Guardiola and his side will be at the Molineux, Wolverhampton’s fortress, which Manchester City conquered last May with a resounding 5-1 victory that opened the door to the title. It will not be easy to repeat, both because energy is in short supply after the challenge against Dortmund, but above all because Wolves are very solid and in front of their own public they have never lost.
Bruno Lage’s team has a serious offensive problem: the serious injury to Kalajdzic, who arrived in the summer from Stuttgart, further complicates the situation. So much so that the club has fished among the free agents, signing Brazilian Diego Costa.
Ruben Neves
The Prediction
A potentially tough challenge for Manchester City, who are still favourites for the three points. But the script is likely to be different from last May. It would not be surprising if the total number of goals is less than four. Wolverhampton could run out of goals again.
Wolverhampton-Manchester City
likely line-ups.
- WOLVERHAMPTON (4-3-3): Sa; Jonny, Kilman, Collins, Ait-Nouri; Nunes, Neves, Moutinho; Neto, Hwang, Podence.
- MANCHESTER CITY (4-3-3): Ederson; Stones, Akanji, Dias, Cancelo; Gundogan, Rodri, De Bruyne; Bernardo Silva, Haaland, Foden.
POSSIBLE RESULT: 0-1
