Manchester City face Wolverhampton Wanderers in Friday’s Premier League kick-off hoping to put pressure on their rivals in the race for a top-five finish.
City are amongst a pack of five teams chasing the final three spaces, with both Liverpool and Arsenal out of sight. They are battling it out with Newcastle United, Chelsea, Nottingham Forest and Aston Villa for the final Champions League spots.
Standing in their way is a Wolves outfit who are the league’s in-form team. Their 3-0 defeat of Leicester last time out was their sixth straight Premier League victory. This has seen them move away from the relegation zone. They are sitting in 13th place going into this game, but now have little to play for.
MAN CITY VS WOLVES PREVIEW
Manchester City are also unbeaten in their last six Premier League games, but they have won four and drawn two. If you count their FA Cup successes, they are unbeaten in eight in all competitions. They go into this game following a 2-0 win over Nottingham Forest in the FA Cup semi-finals.
City have strong recent form against Wolves, winning eight of the last nine Premier League meetings between the two sides.
Last season’s corresponding fixture saw them hammer the Midlands club 5-1. Four goals from Erling Haaland and a late Julián Alvarez effort helped set up the win.
This season’s game at Molineux was much closer, but City still claimed victory. A last-gasp John Stones effort saw City come from behind to claim a 2-1 win. Jørgen Strand Larsen had put Wolves ahead in the seventh minute, only for City to equalise through Joško Gvardiol later in the first half.
Manchester City will definitely have Nathan Ake (foot) and Erling Haaland (ankle) out, while Rodri (knee) won’t return until next season.
John Stones could be back in the squad, while Ederson could return too.
Pedro Lima and Yerson Mosquera are out for Wolves, but Jean-Ricner Belegarde and Hwang Hee-chan could feature.
MAN CITY VS WOLVES – PREDICTIONS
Man City Win
Man City have the greater need for points while home advantage should also slant this tie in their favour. They are currently on a three-match winning streak at the Etihad and face a side they have beaten in eight of their last nine encounters.
Draw
With five draws, only Tottenham Hotspur (4) have drawn fewer games in the Premier League than Wolves this season. City have only drawn seven but their 2-2 stalemate at the Etihad against Brighton suggests they could be held here.
Wolves Win
Wolves beat Manchester United in their last away game, so can clearly win against the top sides on their travels. They are on a four-match winning run away from home in the league and are currently the top flight’s in-form side.
PREMIER LEAGUE – TOP SCORER
| # | Player | Team | Goals | Assists | Matches |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Mohamed Salah |
Liverpool FC | 28 | 17 | 36 |
| 2 |
Alexander Isak |
Newcastle United FC | 23 | 6 | 33 |
| 3 |
Erling Haaland |
Manchester City FC | 21 | 3 | 30 |
| 4 |
Chris Wood |
Nottingham Forest FC | 20 | 3 | 34 |
| 5 |
Bryan Mbeumo |
Brentford FC | 18 | 8 | 36 |
MAN CITY VS WOLVES – BETTING TIPS
Man City Win
Man City are hitting their stride at just the right time. They know what needs to be done to secure a Champions League spot. Facing a rampant Wolves side will be tough, but the visitors have little to play for now they have secured Premier League survival.
Man City to Win to Nil
City may have conceded 43 goals in the Premier League this season, but they kept four clean sheets out of six in all competitions in April. Indeed, they have only conceded three goals in this period, suggesting a significant tightening up of their defence.
Nico O’Reilly to Score Anytime
This may be an odd choice, but the full-back is in strong goal scoring form right now. Netting against Everton two weeks ago, he has scored twice in his last three appearances in the Premier League. He has also scored five goals since the turn of the year.
HEAD-TO-HEAD AND KEY STATS
- Manchester City and Wolves have played each other 131 times, with City winning 56. Wolves have won 50, while there have been 25 draws.
- Man City have won eight of the last nine Premier League games between the two sides.
- Man City are on a three-match winning run at the Etihad. They are undefeated at home in all competitions since losing to Liverpool back in February.
- Wolves are currently on a six-game winning streak in the Premier League.
- Wolves have won their last four Premier League games away from home.
| Date | Home | Score | Away |
|---|---|---|---|
| 02-05-2025 |
Manchester City FC |
1 - 0 |
Wolverhampton Wanderers FC |
| 20-10-2024 |
Wolverhampton Wanderers FC |
1 - 2 |
Manchester City FC |
| 04-05-2024 |
Manchester City FC |
5 - 1 |
Wolverhampton Wanderers FC |
| 30-09-2023 |
Wolverhampton Wanderers FC |
2 - 1 |
Manchester City FC |
| 22-01-2023 |
Manchester City FC |
3 - 0 |
Wolverhampton Wanderers FC |
