Wolves will be hoping to continue their excellent record against the top six when they host Manchester City in the Premier League on Friday evening.
Both teams will be full of confidence following comebacks victories in the last round of league matches. Despite City's 3-1 win over Leicester, they remain a whopping 11 points behind champions-elect Liverpool. In fact, the Citizens are as close to the Club World Cup winners as they are to their next opponents.
The current Premier League champions can't afford to drop any more points if they want to keep their slim title hopes alive, but sixth-placed Wolves have proven to be tricky opponents for City in recent history, with their 2-0 victory at the Etihad in October still fresh in the mind.
Check out 90min's preview for the Premier League clash below.
Where to Watch
| When Is Kick Off? | Friday 27 December |
| What Time Is Kick Off? | 19:45 (GMT) |
| Where Is it Played? | Molineux Stadium |
| TV Channel/Live Stream? | Amazon Prime |
| Referee? | Martin Atkinson |
Team News
Willy Boly and Morgan Gibbs-White remain sidelined for Wolves, but Adama Traore is expected to be fit despite some discomfort in his shoulder, which is a real boost for the Midlands side given his two-goal display in the reverse fixture six weeks ago.
City will be without David Silva, who is yet to return to training, while John Stones remains unavailable with a hamstring problem.
Pep Guardiola revealed that Sergio Agüero will not start for the defending champions but Kevin De Bruyne is available despite his late withdrawal against Leicester.
Predicted Lineups
| Wolves | Patrício; Dendoncker, Coady, Saïss; Doherty, Neves, Moutinho, Jonny; Traore, Jota; Jiménez. |
| Man City | Ederson; Walker, Fernandinho, Otamendi, Mendy; De Bruyne, Rodri, Gündogan; Mahrez, Jesus, Sterling. |
Stats Centre
Wolves host City in Friday's only match, having won the reverse fixture 2-0 at the Etihad Stadium thanks to a double from Traore. City trail Liverpool by 11 points and seem out of contention in the title race.
However, the champions have De Bruyne in magnificent form, with the Belgium international at his best in Saturday's 3-1 triumph over Leicester. De Bruyne has been directly involved in 19 goals in his last 19 Premier League appearances.
Guardiola is searching for his 100th Premier League win. Should he achieve it in his 133rd league game on Friday, it would see him break Jose Mourinho's record for the fewest number of matches to reach a century of victories in the competition (142).
Head to Head Record
The first game between these two teams dates back to the 19th century when the sides played out a 1-1 draw. The two clubs have an incredibly even record over the course of their 121 encounters, with each team claiming victory on 48 occasions and sharing the spoils 25 times.
If recent meetings are anything to go by it should be a tight affair, as the sides have one victory, two draws and a defeat each in their past four competitive fixtures. But as this match is each team's first of three games in a week, both managers will be hoping for the best result with minimal injuries.
Recent Form
The loss Wolves suffered at home to Spurs two weeks ago may linger in the back of their minds, but it was their first league defeat in 13 matches, that run of form helping them rise from 19th in late September to sixth in the league.
Main man Raúl Jiménez is in red hot form, contributing a goal or assist in seven of his last eight league outings, including the winner away at Norwich on the weekend.
City have had a poor league campaign in comparison to the stratospheric performances fans of the Citizens have become accustomed to under Pep Guardiola.
They've not recorded more than three consecutive league wins this campaign and come into this fixture with points dropped against Newcastle and Manchester United in their past five league games.
However, the performance against Leicester last weekend should have given Guardiola's men a confidence boost and if the Foxes drop points to Liverpool on Boxing Day, City will leapfrog Rodgers' team with three points at Molineux.
Here's how each team has performed in their last five fixtures.
| Wolves | Manchester City |
| Norwich 1-2 Wolves (21/12) | Manchester City 3-1 Leicester (21/12) |
| Wolves 1-2 Tottenham (15/12) | Oxford United 1-3 Manchester City (18/12) |
| Wolves 4-0 Besiktas (12/12) | Arsenal 0-3 Manchester City (15/12) |
| Brighton 2-2 Wolves (8/12) | Dinamo Zagreb 1-4 Manchester City (11/12) |
| Wolves 2-0 West Ham (4/12) | Manchester City 1-2 Manchester United (7/12) |
Prediction
On paper City are by far and away the stronger side, but in the absence of Laporte and more importantly Fernandinho in his natural midfield role they look vulnerable to quick counter-attacks, with a perfect example coming in the Manchester derby three weeks ago.
Wolves are comfortable defending deep and with Traore in their roster often deploy a counter-attacking approach against the top sides - one of the reasons they are so successful against them.
However, City faced a Leicester team with similar tactics in mind less than a week ago and prevailed relatively unscathed. So, much like their first encounter 120 years ago, a draw seems like a sensible suggestion.
Prediction: Wolves 1-1 Manchester City
Source : 90min