Manchester City vs Wolverhampton Wanderers
As I watched gleeful Arsenal players celebrate on front of their equally jubilant supporters on Sunday – moments after their impressive Premier League victory in the North London derby – it was clearly visible how much it meant.
A first league title in two decades would simply mean everything for all those associated with a team which has been developed piece-by-piece under the stewardship of Mikel Arteta.
Despite all this, as I watched on I still couldn’t help shake off the feeling that they may end up disappointed once again.
That is because the team Arteta left as assistant manager to join Arsenal in late 2019 still hold the aces and the advantage in the title race.
Put simply, Manchester City know if they win their remaining four league games, they will be champions for an unrivalled fourth successive season.
Their meeting at home to Wolves on Saturday teatime is one such encounter I expect them to navigate with something to spare.
Talking Points
All the form guides and statistics point to a home win also.
For example, City are unbeaten in their past 31 games in all competitions – if you discount the penalty shoot-out defeat to Real Madrid in the Champions League quarter-finals a fortnight ago.
Furthermore, all five of Wolves’ Premier League away wins this season have been against either teams starting the day in the relegation zone (two) or London clubs (three).
Indeed, they have lost 18 of their 20 Premier League away games against sides in the top two since their promotion back to the top flight in 2018.
Then there is the Erling Haaland effect.
I remember following the corresponding encounter last term when Haaland netted one of his now many hat-tricks in a 3-0 success.
What price on Haaland adding to his tally again against opponents who could be forgiven for having ‘checked out’ now safety has been secured.
This game also comes at the end of a rare free week for the champions which will surely only benefit them and ensure they are refreshed.
With the likes of Phil Foden and Ruben Dias set to return from illness, the prospects for Gary O’Neil and his cohorts look daunting.
Yet before we dismiss their chances of Premier League highlights, we should remember Wolves do have the psychological boost of knowing they beat City earlier this campaign.
That 2-1 victory at Molyneux was as unexpected as it was statistically likely when you consider that Wolves had one effort on target and their other goal was an own goal.
But it also acts as a reminder that strange things can happen.
The second half of the season has seen O’Neil’s side suffer from countless injuries and slip out of the European picture but the fact they are in 10th place with three games remaining confirms he has been a decent replacement for Julen Lopetegui who departed the Black Country on the eve of the campaign.
Although they could not achieve their first clean sheet in the league since late February, Wolves did end their six game winless run in the Premier League and piled pressure on relegation-threatened Luton with victory at Molineux last Saturday.
Afterwards O’Neil (who will serve a one match touchline ban this Saturday) praised the difference it made to be able to select frontmen Hwang Hee-chan and Matheus Cunha in the same team for the first time since December 30.
Both Hee-chan and Cunha have scored 11 Premier League goals this term and there have been just three times a player has scored more for the club in a campaign – Steven Fletcher in 2011-12 (12) and Raul Jimenez in 2018-19 (13) and 2019-20 (17).
If they are both on form this weekend, City cannot afford to be complacent.
History
Historically, these sides can barely be separated.
City have triumphed in 54 of their meetings, with Wolves successful in 50 of the contests and the other 25 ending as draws.
The corresponding fixture last term was that Haaland hat-trick.
Wolves did seal a league double over City in 2019 and a comeback 3-2 victory at Molyneux when Adama Traore, Raul Jimenez and Matt Doherty sealed the points.
City had played for almost 80 minutes with 10 men after goalkeeper Ederson was sent-off but had still gone 2-0 up, courtesy of a Raheem Sterling double.
That was also the campaign when they last won at the Etihad Stadium as Traore scored twice in the final 10 minutes in a 2-0 win.
Their very first meeting came in September 1899 at Hyde Road in Manchester in a League Division One encounter which ended 1-1.
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