Premier League football returns this weekend and the Saturday lunchtime fixture comes from the West Midlands. Wolves host Manchester City at Molineux in what is set to be an entertaining affair, in a game featuring the champions. The home side come into this having unfortunately lost new signing Sasa Kalajdzic to a long term injury. The Austrian was brought in at the last minute of the transfer window to provide added depth to the strike force. Now, Wolves have moved swiftly in the market and snapped up Diego Costa on a short term deal from Atletico Mineiro. The well-known feisty forward could be utilised from the bench here but will likely feature after the international break, due to not having played a match for 9 months. His experience will be invaluable and we all know he is certainly capable of ruffling a few feathers, having seen this so often in his time at Atletico Madrid and Chelsea.
In terms of form, well, Wolves have picked up 6 points from a possible 18 and sit 14th in the table. They’ve only managed 2 goals in their last 5 in the PL and these worrying signs are a continuation of what we saw in their previous campaign.
The Citizens arrive into this one having picked up maximum points from their recent back to back Champions League fixtures. Both Dortmund and Sevilla were brushed aside in the process with striker Erling Haaland continuing his magnificent form. The momentum is building at City at this moment in time and they’ll be looking to kick on in style against Wolves on Saturday. They remain unbeaten in their last 21 games on the road in the league, a quite staggering statistic. In fact, City have also beaten Wolves on each occasion in their last 4 meetings H2H in all competitions too.
Wolves v Manchester City Bet Builder Tips
Manchester City to Win
It’s difficult to see Manchester City dropping any points here at Wolves. The league’s lowest scorers face the free scoring Sky Blues. The Norwegian, Erling Haaland is in such fine goal scoring form, having now notched 13 goals. Wolves will be well aware that he is far from the only threat in front of goal with the star quality City possesses. Players such as Phil Foden, Ilkay Gundogan and Bernardo Silva can all fill the void if needed, having shown their scoring form this season too.
I am anticipating Kevin De Bruyne to be in the starting XI once more for this game. Last season we saw him run riot in the corresponding fixture, scoring 4 of the Citizens 5 goals, in what was a scintillating performance. This match may well still be fresh in the minds of the hosts as it took place in May and the Blues have certainly continued from where they left off.
The away side are set to be missing Kyle Walker and Aymeric Laporte to injury, their only notable absentees. With the added depth within the squad this may not cause too many issues at all. We have recently seen John Stones comfortably slot in at right back, and in the process, score an absolute screamer against Dortmund midweek. Nathan Ake and Ruben Dias could be the centre back pairing; I fully expect them to comfortably deal with this Wolves side.
In summary, the Mancunians have vast talent in all areas of the pitch and are in such a rich vein of form. Therefore, I’m taking an away win to start this bet builder off.
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Prediction: Manchester City to Win
Erling Haaland to Score Anytime
The Norwegian has hit the ground running since joining City in the summer. He has every chance of smashing numerous goal scoring records this season, after the sensational start he has made to his City career. 13 goals have been scored in just 8 games recently; this simply incredible return is part of the reasoning for taking a City win.
Goals can come out of absolutely nothing, as we saw in the Champions League midweek. A fabulous cross from Joao Cancelo during the second half gave Haaland a sniff of a chance to score, in which he somehow managed to take. A spectacular finish helped City gain victory and I feel that any slight opportunity that is coming his way at the moment, is just finding the back of the net.
Facing off against the likely centre back pairing of Nathan Collins and Max Kilman, I believe he’ll get the better of them throughout the game. The striker possesses strength, pace and an all-round ruthlessness to his game, all the traits of a world-class forward. He’ll be fed by some of the best midfielders in the business, with Silva and De Bruyne now beginning to look on the same wave length. We saw the Belgian assist Haaland in Seville in the recent Champions League fixture too.
The numbers do the talking for this selection and it seems an absolute no brainer. With Haaland in such unstoppable form, add him to score anytime
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Prediction: Erling Haaland to Score Anytime
Over 1.5 Wolves Cards
I’m banking on the home side collecting a couple of yellow cards during this encounter with Manchester City. Wolves have picked up 2+ bookings in 4 out of the 6 games so far this season in the Premier League. It’s entirely possible this may well happen again here, particularly with the yellow card number likely to rise now up against better opposition. They’ll have their hands full from the word go against the champions, and have a number of players who often find themselves in the referee’s notebook. Ruben Neves a stand out candidate, having been cautioned on 3 occasions since August.
Anthony Taylor is at the whistle for this game and has dished out 25 yellows in all competitions this season, an average of 3.57 per game. These statistics provide more than enough evidence for me to get the over 1.5 cards for the home side onside here. I’m expecting City to have the majority of the ball within the 90 minutes; consequently, this may lead to Wolves having to commit numerous fouls in various areas of the field.
When taking on City, I feel teams sometimes have no option but to bring down their opponents. This can happen once more in this contest, as previously mentioned Ruben Neves is one never shy of sticking his foot in. Fellow Portuguese team-mates Matheus Nunes and Joao Moutinho could well see themselves carded too, as they somehow attempt to stop this City side.
Only 2 yellows are needed to see this part of the bet builder home and there are strong possibilities this can land.
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Prediction: Over 1.5 Wolves Cards
Raul Jimenez to have 2+ Shots
Since returning from injury in late August, the Mexican striker has certainly had his shooting boots on. In his last 3 appearances in all competitions, Jiminez has managed 11 shots in total, averaging 3.66 shots per game. This matchup against City will in my mind be a much more difficult one; however, at a line of only 2 shots, I believe this is more than achievable, especially for a centre forward. As we know, these shots don’t even need to hit the target. If they’re blocked, fly into row z or hit the woodwork, then they all still count as shots taken.
Any opportunities that come his way during the 90 minutes, I’m expecting shots to be taken. They may come at a premium but he’s the main man in attack and the one most probable in front of goal. If Wolves can manage to be on top for a few periods of play within this game, then I’m confident our man can reach a total of 2 or more shots.
Jimenez is set to maintain his place in the team which is something I hugely considered with this prop selection. I touched on the likeliness of Diego Costa playing earlier and the game will almost certainly have come too soon for him. In the unlikely event that Bruno Lage does throw Costa into the XI ahead of Jimenez, then I’d swap him in for 2+ shots at the price of 6/5.
I must admit this is the value play of the bet builder and really boosts our odds up, in hope of a tasty return!
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Prediction: Raul Jimenez to have 2+ Shots
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How to watch Wolves v Manchester City in the Premier League?
📅 When is Wolves v Manchester City? / Saturday 17th September 2022, 12:30
🏟 Where is Wolves v Manchester City? / Molineux (Wolverhampton)
📺 What TV channel is Wolves v Manchester City on? / BT Sport 1 🟨 …And who is the referee for Wolves v Manchester City? / A. Taylor 🏴
