Manchester City’s late kick-off against Wolves on Saturday will generate plenty of eyes from Sky Blues supporters worldwide for a whole host of reasons.
Firstly, the fans will be excited to watch Pep Guardiola’s men kick off their Premier League campaign at the Molineux Stadium.
With Rayan Cherki given the number 10 shirt by Manchester City, he could be set to make his debut in the English top-flight alongside their other new signings such as Tijjani Reijnders, Rayan Ait-Nouri and James Trafford.
Considering Liverpool will open the new campaign with Friday’s clash against AFC Bournemouth, Manchester City fans will be intrigued to see whether they can keep pace with the Reds from the get-go as well.
Paul Merson predicts Man City to beat Wolves
Ait-Nouri facing Wolves will surely excite the supporters as well as they will be curious to see whether he fares well against his former club.
Pep Guardiola looks forward to the new season and so will the City fans.
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Paul Merson told Sportskeeda that he expects Manchester City to start their campaign off with a victory but only a narrow 2-1 win, explaining: “Even though it’s a nightmare start for Wolves against Manchester City, the first game is also a bit of a leveller. It’s better playing City now without Rodri than playing them in December when they’re firing on all cylinders.”
Pep Guardiola, head coach of Manchester City, speaks with Pep Lijnders, assistant coach of Manchester City, during a training session open to the public advertised as the 'City are Back' event at Joie Stadium on August 05, 2025
Photo by James Gill – Danehouse/Getty Images
“City are always going to be in the equation for the title race because of the quality they have in their team. Kevin De Bruyne will be a huge miss though and Rodri will not be available from the start of the season. City will hope that Phil Foden can hit the ground running this weekend. He had a really quiet season last time around and must ensure he does not carry that lack of form into the new campaign.”
Paul Merson expects Wolves to give Manchester City a game due to the visitors’ defensive woes, concluding: “I’m not fully convinced about City. They still looked very open at the Club World Cup and teams can easily have a go at them. So, I believe Wolves have a slight chance at getting something out of this game, if they perform well.”
Pep Guardiola’s record vs Wolves
The good news for City fans is that Pep Guardiola has a record to be proud of against Vitor Pereira’s side.
PEP GUARDIOLA’S RECORD AT MAN CITY VS WOLVES
GAMES 15
WINS 11
DRAWS 3
LOSSES 1
Paul Merson’s prediction about Manchester City beating Wolves could ring true, considering in both sides’ 15 meetings during Guardiola’s tenure, the English giants have won 11, drawn three and lost just once.
History suggests that City will get over the line, even though the hosts tested them to the hilt last season despite losing 2-1 at home and 1-0 at the Etihad Stadium.