Wolves vs Man City preview: Premier League opener 2025

The brand new Premier League season begins with Manchester Metropolis heading to Molineux to face Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday night. After final 12 months’s frustrations, Pep Guardiola and his gamers know there will be no sluggish begin this time round. We surrendered the league to Liverpool and even fell brief within the FA Cup, leaving supporters determined for a response. A visit to Wolves provides the primary likelihood to point out that classes have been discovered and that we’re able to reclaim our place on the prime.

When & the place? / Kick-off particulars

Date: Saturday, August 16, 2025Kick-off time: 5.30 p.m. BST / 12.30 p.m. ET / 9.30 a.m. PTStadium: Molineux, WolverhamptonReferee: Jarred GillettVAR: Michael Salisbury

Staff information

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Wolves have had a troublesome summer time, shedding each Matheus Cunha and Rayan Aït-Nouri, and their pre-season outcomes had been removed from encouraging. Vítor Pereira will probably hand out debuts to Jhon Arias, Fer López and David Møller Wolfe, with Yerson Mosquera the one senior absentee.

For Manchester Metropolis, Rodri has returned sooner than anticipated, though he could solely characteristic from the bench. Mateo Kovačić and Joško Gvardiol stay sidelined, whereas Savinho and Ederson are additionally out. Nonetheless, Rayan Cherki, Tijjani Reijnders and former Wolves defender Aït-Nouri are all in competition for debuts, giving Guardiola loads of recent choices to work with.

Tactical evaluation

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Pereira is predicted to stay with a again three and goal compactness, trying to frustrate our build-up play and hit on the break by López and Strand Larsen. Wolves’ defensive frailties in pre-season counsel they may battle to comprise Erling Haaland if Man Metropolis discover rhythm early on.

For Guardiola, the important thing can be midfield management. Even with out a absolutely match Rodri, Reijnders has already proven indicators of having the ability to dictate play, whereas Bernardo Silva’s intelligence between the traces can be essential. With Aït-Nouri probably beginning in opposition to his previous teammates, we will anticipate the left flank to be an outlet, particularly with overlapping runs from the inverted full-backs.

Key gamers

Erling Haaland (Man Metropolis): Contemporary off one other ruthless pre-season, our quantity 9 would be the point of interest as soon as once more and is predicted to hassle Wolves’ shaky backline.Bernardo Silva (Man Metropolis): With Kevin De Bruyne gone, Bernardo’s affect in controlling tempo and discovering attacking lanes turns into much more vital.Jhon Arias (Wolves): A brand new arrival who impressed on the FIFA Membership World Cup, he could also be tasked with offering creativity in opposition to a excessive press.

Predicted lineups

Wolves predicated lineup vs Man Metropolis: Sá; Doherty, Agbadou, Toti; Hover, Andrew, J. phrases, Wolfe; Mount, Lopez; Stand Larsen.

Man Metropolis Predicted Lineup vs Wolves: Trafford; Nunes, Dias, Akanji, Aït-Nouri; González; Cherki, Reijnders, Silva, Marmoush; Haaland.

Conclusion / Prediction

This opener presents the possibility for Man Metropolis to set the tone for the season. Wolves look weak after a poor summer time and key departures, whereas Guardiola’s new signings have injected vitality into the squad. Even when we’re nonetheless looking for full sharpness, the gulf in high quality ought to inform.

Prediction: Wolves 0–2 Manchester Metropolis