Manchester City will have the opportunity to go top of the Premier League table when they face Wolves on Saturday afternoon.
With league leaders Arsenal playing on Sunday, City could overtake the Gunners with a win against Wolves. If they do secure three points, Pep Guardiola's side could enter the international break top of the pile.
Due to last week's fixtures being postponed as a mark of respect for the death of Queen Elizabeth II, the trip to the Midlands will be City's first Premier League game in two weeks. Since their last Premier League outing, City have won their first two Champions League group stage games - the most recent result seeing City come from a goal behind to beat Borussia Dortmund 2-1.
ALSO READ: Man City player ratings vs Dortmund
Guardiola enters the clash with Wolves with a near fully-fit squad. Kyle Walker may miss out as he recovers from injury, whilst Aymeric Laporte has returned to full training after his lay-off, meaning he could potentially make the squad on Saturday.
Wolves vs Man City score predicted by simulation
To run this simulation, we used FIFA 22, updating the squads with the latest transfers made in the summer transfer window. Both sides lined up in their 2021/22 kits, as FIFA 22 does not provide the 2022/23 ones.
We predict that Wolves could set up in a 4-3-3 formation, with their line-up as follows: Sa; Jonny, Collins, Kilman, Ait-Nouri; Nunes, Neves, Moutinho; Guedes, Jimenez, Neto.
We predict that City could set up in a 4-3-3 formation, with their line-up as follows: Ederson; Stones, Dias, Ake, Cancelo; De Bruyne, Rodri, Gundogan; Alvarez, Haaland, Foden.
Wolves got off to the perfect start, with Raul Jiminez scoring the opener, heading home Pedro Neto's hanging cross. It was the only goal of the first half, but City found the equaliser in the 65th minute through their top goalscorer.
As Max Kilman pushed out of defence, the defender's pass was loose and to the feet of Kevin De Bruyne, leaving a gaping hole in the defence. De Bruyne threaded a pass into the space for Haaland to chase, and the Norwegian fired a fantastic effort into the top corner to draw level.
Just as City found themselves back in the game, Wolves regained the lead moments later, with Ruben Neves ghosting in at the back post to volley a cross into the roof of the net. City had dominated the game and forced Jose Sa into plenty of saves, and the visitors found a deserved equaliser through Haaland again.
De Bruyne whipped a corner towards Haaland as the striker ran towards the front post, and the 22-year-old beat Jiminez in the air to head the ball past the goalkeeper. Sa continued to impress in goal for Wolves, with the Portuguese goalkeeper having made over 10 saves in 80 minutes.
Wolves pushed forward as they looked to regain the lead, and they almost found it, with Adama Traore's mishit cross almost lobbing Ederson in goal. Jack Grealish, Bernardo Silva and Riyad Mahrez were all introduced for the final 10 minutes, and two of the three were involved as City scored an 89th-minute winner at Molineux.
In traditional Grealish style, the winger carried the ball forward before cutting inside on the edge of the box and giving the ball to Silva. De Bruyne made a bursting run into the box which Silva spotted, and the Belgian took aim with a first-time shot, curling the ball around Sa and into the bottom corner to win the game for City.
FIFA 22 predicted final score: Wolves 2-3 Man City
Here are the full-time match stats.
FIFA 22 predicts that Wolves could push City to their limits on Saturday, but like all season, Guardiola's side fought back to win the game. Haaland scored twice followed by a late De Bruyne winner, highlighting that even if Wolves were to score a few in the real game, City's strong attacking options should be able to find a response.
What do you think the final score will be? Let us know in the comments!
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