Manchester City v Wolves: Back O'Neil's men to contribute in City success

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·04 de maio de 2024

Manchester City v Wolves: Back O'Neil's men to contribute in City success

Manchester City look to keep the pressure on Arsenal at the top of the Premier League when facing Wolves this weekend. Betfair writer Mark O'Haire is backing the Citizens to succeed but isn't trust Pep Guardiola's rearguard to hold strong.

City unbeaten in 31 games (W25-D6-L0)
Wolves a threat with Cunha and Hwang starting[
13/82.63 shot appeals in lopsided betting heat
Read Betfair's new 90 Minute Payout offer here
Erling Haaland marked his return with a goal as Manchester City 1.111/9 kept up the pressure on Premier League leaders Arsenal with a 2-0 victory at Nottingham Forest last Sunday. The Norwegian striker missed two games through injury but came off the bench in the 62nd minute at the City Ground and slotted home nine minutes later to wrap up the points.
Pep Guardiola's group went ahead soon after the half-hour mark as Josko Gvardiol scored with a powerful near-post header and the Citizens now know that should they win out in their final four league games, a record fourth consecutive Premier League title. Even so, it was a far from comfortable afternoon for City who were put under plenty of pressure.
Guardiola said: "It was more than hard. It was such a difficult game, we suffered a lot but at the end we take it. We defended the box really good, especially with Manu [Akanji], Nathan [Ake] and Josko [Gvardiol]. Then, in the last half an hour, we controlled the game more. We are a team that survives with the ball. We take the win and move forward."
Man City have now enjoyed their first free midweek for a while as they prepare to return to The Etihad for EPL action. Ruben Dias and Phil Foden are expected back from illness, though Ederson's availability remains questionable with the Brazilian goalkeeper still recovering from a shoulder injury. Stefan Ortega is expected to start between the sticks on Saturday.
After a run of six league games without a win, Wolves' 28.0027/1 campaign was starting to fizzle out but they put in a much-improved performance to see off Luton last time out. The Old Gold started slowly but played themselves into proceedings with Hwang Hee-chan scoring his first goal since 27th December helping to swing the momentum in Wolves' favour.
Toti Gomes doubled the lead five minutes into the second half, whilst Boubacar Traore, Rayan Ait-Nouri and Nelson Semedo all had chances to put the game to bed as Gary O'Neil's team dominated the second half. There was a nervous end, though, when Luton reduced the deficit with 10 minutes remaining, denying Wolves a first clean sheet since late February.
O'Neil was understandably pleased, saying: "It was a good performance. The score-line doesn't tell the full story. We were comfortable for long periods, and probably should have put it to bed. There are so many positives; we have improved on the points tally of last year, stabilised the club financially, and had 13 academy players involved in matchday squads."
Wolves were able to pair forwards Matheus Cunha and Hwang together for the first time since the end of December and the duo provided plenty of eye-catching moments. Pedro Neto and Craig Dawson do remain sidelined, though the visitors are hoping to have Mario Lemina involved again here after collecting a hamstring injury midway through April.
Manchester City come into this clash unbeaten in 19 Premier League (W15-D4-L0) - include all competitions and the Citizens are 31 games now without defeat (W25-D6-L0), whilst City have taken top honours in seven of their past eight home matches against Wolves. You would have to be a brave punter to oppose the defending champions this weekend.
Nevertheless, there is a way to back Guardiola's group at a more palatable price by giving Wolves a shot of at least getting on the scoresheet. Man City to win and Both Teams To Score pays [13/8] - an enormous increase on the straight City success, and holds plenty more appeal considering the threat Wolves could cause in transitions.
With both Cunha and Hwang starting together this season, Wolves have won nine out of 18 games, losing just five. Without one of both of them starting, the Old Gold has claimed only four victories in 17, highlighting their influence. The pair have each racked up 11 Premier League goals with O'Neil's outfit averaging 1.70 goals per-game with the duo involved.
Considering Man City have conceded in nine of 11 Etihad encounters against teams inside the top-14, as well as leaking here against Luton last time out, the 13/82.63

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