Manchester City can move within just three points of second-placed Arsenal and strengthen their Champions League qualification bid with victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers on Friday night.
The Cityzens, who booked their place in the FA Cup final last Sunday, have hit their stride at the perfect time and now look extremely likely to secure their place in next season's Champions League with a top five finish. They're unbeaten since early March and have won four of their last five Premier League outings.
City will be able to unnerve their top five competitors with victory in Friday's encounter and there are challenging fixtures for their adversaries. But conquering Wolves, even on home soil, will be a sizeable challenge.
Wolves are the form team in the Premier League with six successive victories and their victory over Leicester City last weekend lifted them to 13th in the standings. Despite having little to play for in the remaining weeks of the season, Vitor Pereira's side are playing with complete freedom and will fancy their chances of upsetting the odds at the Etihad Stadium.
Here is Sports Illustrated's guide to the clash.
What Time Does Man City vs. Wolves Kick-Off?
- Location: Manchester, England
- Stadium: Etihad Stadium
- Date: Friday 2 May
- Kick-off Time: 20:00 BST / 15:00 ET / 12:00 PT
- Referee: Peter Bankes
- VAR Paul Tierney
Man City vs. Wolves Head-to-Head Record (Last Five Games)
- Man City: 4 wins
- Wolves: 1 win
- Draws: 0
- Last meeting: Wolves 1-2 Man City (20 October 2024) - Premier League
Current Form (All Competitions)
How to Watch Man City vs. Wolves on TV
Man City Team News
There's been positive injury news for Pep Guardiola as Erling Haaland returned to full training on Wednesday and Rodri started work on an individual training programme. The former could return to the matchday squad for Friday's clash with Wolves.
Manuel Akanji had also been sidelined through injury but appeared on the City bench during their FA Cup semi-final clash at Wembley, but fellow centre-backs John Stones and Nathan Ake remain sidelined.
Ederson also returned to the bench last weekend and could replace Stefan Ortega in the starting lineup against Wolves.
Man City Predicted Lineup vs. Wolves
Man City predicted lineup vs. Wolves (4-1-4-1): Ederson; Lewis, Dias, Gvardiol, O'Reilly; Gonzalez; Silva, De Bruyne, Kovacic; Savinho; Marmoush.
Wolves Team News
Pereira has been integral in Wolves turning the corner and the Portuguese is still working without a host of injured peripheral figures.
Yerson Mosquera, Enso Gonzalez, Leon Chiwome and Sasa Kalajdzic are all still sidelined through fitness issues, while Sam Johnstone and Pedro Lima remain doubts for the City clash having missed recent games - although neither will start regardless.
Matheus Cunha starred in the victory over Leicester last time out and City may keep close eyes on the Brazilian star at the Etihad ahead of the summer window.
Wolves Predicted Lineup vs. Man City
Wolves predicted lineup vs. Man City (3-4-2-1): Sa; Doherty, Agbadou, Toti; Semedo, J. Gomes, Andre, Ait-Nouri; Munetsi, Cunha; Strand Larsen.
Man City vs. Wolves Score Prediction
Wolves appear unlikely to stretch their winning streak further on Friday but they could avoid defeat at the Etihad against a side they once boasted an impressive record against. City have vulnerabilities in defence and are still yet to fully click as an attacking force.
However, the Cityzens have home advantage and a greater need for points, while their confidence will be the highest it's been since the beginning of the season. Their star-studded squad should find a route to victory, even if not entirely convincing.
Prediction: Man City 2-1 Wolves
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Man City vs. Wolves: Preview, Predictions and Lineups.
