Man City v Wolves – Etihad Stadium at 20:00 GMT
Manchester City notched up as many as 16 goals in two FA Cup victories, surpassing lower division teams Rotherham United in a 7-0 demolishing and Burton Albion in a massive 9-0 thrashing last week. On Monday, they will return to the Premier League with a home battle against the Wolverhampton Wanderers. Taking on a Premier League opponent will be a much challenging test, but after overpowering Liverpool in their first of the year, Man City will surely be in a confident mood when they face the Wolves on Monday.
Manchester City encountered some challenges last year which allowed Liverpool to make their way ahead of City and reach the top of the Premier League table. City are at the 2й spot in the standings, still 7 points adrift Liverpool so they will need to secure victories in all their future fixtures in order to remain in the race for the title victory. Even though City won their previous fixtures, a battle against the Wolves could be a challenging task especially since they were held at the Molineux earlier this season in a 1-1 draw.
Wolverhampton, on the other hand, have been proving themselves as a tough opponent since they’ve been securing unexpected victories lately. They shocked Liverpool in an upsetting 2-1 score in the FA Cup and then continuing their inconsistent form after dominating Tottenham in 1-3 win, then losing to Crystal Palace in a 0-2 home defeat. They also managed to hold Arsenal and Fulham in both a 1-1 draw, then Newcastle in a 1-2 victory, then suffering another 201 defeat against Cardiff City. However, they will surely be motivated when they face Man City on Monday especially after beating Liverpool.
It will be an interesting Monday night at the Etihad Stadium as these two sides face each other in the race for the English top-flight crown.
LATEST NEWS
– Benjamin Mendy will allegedly close in on a comeback to the first-team training, but is unlikely available for Monday’s match against the Wolves due to a knee injury.
– Sergio Aguero will return from illness to lead Man City.
– Vincent Kompany is recovering but will still be out due to a muscle problem.
– Claudio Bravo is also out for an Achilles problem.
– Diogo Jota and Adama Traore will both be available after recovering from their hamstring issues.
PROBABLE FORMATION & STARTING XI
Man City: 4-3-3
Ederson, Danilo, John Stones, Nicolas Otamendi, Aymeric Laporte, Bernardo Silva, Fernandinho, David Silva, Raheem Sterling, Sergio Aguero, Leroy Sane
Wolves: 3-4-3
Rui Patricio, Ryan Bennett, Conor Coady, Willy Boly, Jonny, Ruben Neves, Joao Moutinho, Matt Doherty, Jota, Helder Costa, Raul Jimenez
KEY PLAYERS
Man City
Sergio Aguero is one of Premier League’s top goal-scorers. His slow start to the 2018-19 season didn’t hinder him in climbing his way to the top of the goal-scoring rankings. Aside from that, he is among the players included in the race for the Premier League Golden Boot.
Leroy Sane plays as a midfielder for Man City and the German national team. He has been one of the most important players for City. He has 20 assists since the start of last season, more than any other player in the league. He is also one of the fastest players in the English top-flight. He was one of the key players who secured City’s victory against Liverpool along with Sergio Aguero.
Wolves
Ruben Neves plays as a midfielder for the Wolves and the Portugal national team. He has established himself as one of the Wolves’ most important players for his technical abilities especially in the line of defence. He helped secure the Wolverhampton’s victory during their match against Liverpool in the FA Cup just recently.
Raul Jimenez is a forward who plays for Wolverhampton, on loan from Benfica, and the Mexico national team. He was one of the key players who secured the Wolves’ victory against Liverpool along with teammate Ruben Neves.
MATCH PREDICTION
Man City v Wolves: 3-1
The Wolves be prepared to take on a side like Manchester City and may have surprisingly won in the FA Cup against Liverpool, but Pep Guardiola’s men seemed to have regained their stellar form after encountering a slight setback last year. The Wolves’ have the ability to break down City’s defence but the reigning champions should have enough power to strengthen both their attacking and defensive strategies especially with Sergio Aguero, Leroy Sane, and Raheem Sterling all present on Monday. Aside from that, Manchester City can’t afford enough failures if they want to surpass Liverpool at the top of the table.
MATCH BETTING ODDS
*Prices are correct at the time of writing.
По @EliaasMJ
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