Wolverhampton Wanderers vs Manchester City

Defending Premier League champions Manchester City take a trip to Molineux Stadium to encounter bottom-half underachievers Wolverhampton Wanderers.

Following an underwhelming five-match winless Premier League start (D3, L2), Wolverhampton eked out a 1-0 home triumph over Southampton last time out, reigniting their hopes of clawing their way back into the European qualification race. However, Wolves’ scoring woes from last season continue to trouble Burno Lage’s side this term, with the ‘Wanderers’ netting a mere three goals in their opening six league outings, an average of 0.5 per game. Diego Costa’s unexpected arrival could turn Wolves’ fortunes around as the Brazilian striker proved to be a talismanic figure during his time at Chelsea. He only lost three out of 45 scoring Premier League appearances for the ‘Blues’ (W37, D5) and will look for more of the same at Molineux. Adding to the home side’s confidence, they’ve not lost any of their last four Premier League outings at this venue (W1, D3).

In the meantime, Erling Haaland’s outrageous late winner against his former employers Borussia Dortmund helped Manchester City pull off a come-from-behind 2-1 win over the Germans in midweek Champions League action. Back to domestic proceedings, the back-to-back Premier League champions are keen to extend their six-game unbeaten league start (W4, D2) and temporarily leapfrog pacesetters Arsenal at the summit. Despite squandering a narrow second-half lead in a 1-1 draw away to Aston Villa last time out, the ‘Cityzens’ have taken their unbeaten Premier League streak on the road to 21 matches (W15, D5). That run includes an overwhelming 5-1 victory in this corresponding fixture last season. Indeed, after losing consecutive top-flight H2Hs three years ago, Pep Guardiola’s men have won four league meetings with Wolves via an aggregate score of 13-3.