Manchester City begin the 2025–26 Premier League season by visiting Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday, with the eight-time champions keen to make a fast start following last season’s frustrations.
The Cityzens surrendered their Premier League crown to Liverpool and stumbled into third place as a result of their sudden decline in 2024–25, with defeat in the FA Cup final to Crystal Palace only compounding their misery. Pep Guardiola will be demanding a speedy turnaround from his side, as well as all three points from the weekend trip to Molineux.
City have been busy reinforcing their squad over the summer transfer window, making room for new additions by allowing experienced heads such as Kevin De Bruyne, Kyle Walker and Jack Grealish to depart. New faces should help freshen things up as they aim to rediscover their mojo and compete for the title once more.
Wolves will be eager to cause an early upset but their recent record against City leaves much to be desired. They have lost nine of their last ten meetings with the Manchester giants, including a heartbreaking 95th-minute defeat in this exact fixture last season.
The departures of Matheus Cunha and Rayan Aït-Nouri come as a significant blows for the Old Gold, with their pre-season results only exacerbating concerns for supporters. They lost four and drew two friendlies over the summer, failing to keep a single clean sheet—an ominous sign ahead of City’s upcoming visit.
Here is Sports Illustrated’s guide to the duel in the West Midlands.
What Time Does Wolves vs. Man City Kick Off?
- Location: Wolverhampton, England
- Stadium: Molineux
- Date: Saturday, August 16
- Kick-off Time: 5.30 p.m. BST / 12.30 p.m. ET / 9.30 a.m. PT
- Referee: Jarred Gillett
- VAR: Michael Salisbury
Wolves vs. Man City Head-to-Head Record (Last Five Games)
- Wolves: 1 win
- Man City: 4 wins
- Draws: 0
- Last meeting: Man City 1–0 Wolves (May 2, 2025)—Premier League
Current Form (All Competitions)
Wolves Team News
Yerson Mosquera is the only first-team concern for Wolves ahead of their Premier League opener and Vítor Pereira is likely to hand out several competitive debuts on Saturday. Having starred at the FIFA Club World Cup with Fluminense, new signing Jhon Arias should feature in some capacity, while there could be starts for Fer López and the aptly-named David Møller Wolfe.
The Old Gold are closing in on the signing of Jackson Tchatchoua from Hellas Verona as Nélson Semedo’s successor, but Ki-Jana Hoever could start at right wing back against City in Pereira’s 3-4-2-1 formation.
Wolves Predicted Lineup vs. Man City
Wolves predicted lineup vs. Man City (3-4-2-1): Sá; Doherty, Agbadou, Toti; Hoever, André, J. Gomes, Wolfe; Munetsi, López; Strand Larsen.
Man City Team News
Rodri’s season-ending injury derailed City’s 2024–25 campaign and the Spaniar suffered a setback this summer which will impact his start to the new term. Guardiola had insisted the midfielder would not be back until September but has confirmed Rodri will be part of the matchday squad here, although just how much of a role he will play remains to be seen.
Confirmed to be on the sidelines are Mateo Kovačić, who underwent surgery in June, and defender Joško Gvardiol. Savinho, the subject of interest from Tottenham Hotspur, misses out through an injury which Guardiola expects to keep him sidelined for “a few weeks”, while Ederson is also not expected to travel.
Aït-Nouri is almost certain to make his competitive debut against the club he left earlier this summer, while Rayan Cherki and Tijjani Reijnders could make their first appearances in the Premier League.
Whether Ederson will start ahead of returnee James Trafford amid uncertainty over his future remains to be seen.
Man City Predicted Lineup vs. Wolves
Man City predicted lineup vs. Wolves (4-1-4-1): Trafford; Nunes, Dias, Akanji, Aït-Nouri; González; Cherki, Reijnders, Silva, Marmoush; Haaland.
Wolves vs. Man City Score Prediction
City looked to have turned the corner at this summer’s Club World Cup before being unceremoniously dumped out of the competition by Al Hilal. It’s going to take time for them to return to their former glory, but Guardiola is almost certain to figure things out at some point this season.
Even if City are not at their best at Molineux, they will be expected to secure a winning start to the season. Their new signings have offered encouragement on the pitch over the summer and Erling Haaland will continue to rattle in the goals up top.
Wolves have been disappointing in pre-season and have lost some key players. An immensely difficult opening fixture may end in defeat for the hosts.
Prediction: Wolves 0–2 Man City
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Wolves vs. Man City: Preview, Prediction and Lineups.