Manchester City will aim to keep control of their Premier League title fate Saturday when they host a Wolverhampton Wanderers side that is getting healthier for the stretch run.
City (24-3-7, 79 points) could be four points back of Arsenal by the time they take the pitch, with the Gunners playing Bournemouth at home several hours earlier.
But with a match in hand entering the weekend, the Cityzens still know a fourth consecutive title will be theirs if they take the maximum points possible.
Amid one of the tightest races in recent history, City manager Pep Guardiola hopes that winning experience will be an advantage. But he’s honestly not sure.
“I would like to think yes but we have to prove it tomorrow against Wolves and the next games,” Guardiola said. “We know that to win we need all 12 points otherwise it will be difficult because Arsenal are so strong, so consistent.”
City have won five straight in the league since they were held to a scoreless draw on the final day of March by the Gunners side that they’re chasing. They’ve outscored opponents 19-4 over that stretch.
And while Premier League scoring leader Erling Haaland has battled some minor injuries, he has scored in his past three league matches to boost his total to 21 goals. Guardiola said Haaland is available on Saturday.
An exit from the UEFA Champions League in a recent quarterfinal defeat to Real Madrid also means City have had a rare full week to focus on Saturday’s league task, as they will again before next week’s trip to Fulham.
Wolves (13-15-7, 46 points) won the teams’ previous meeting 2-1 at home in late September. More recently, they look to be at least partially recovered from a rash of injuries that contributed to a six-match winless run that dropped them into the bottom half of the table.
Hwang Hee-chan scored his first goal since February in last weekend’s 2-1 win against Luton Town. And Matheus Cunha had an assist in only his second start in that span.
While Wolves’ recent slump has erased any serious possibilities of earning a place in Europe, a top-half finish is still possible.
“Hopefully we can finish the season strongly because we are in a better position now fitness-wise,” said Wolves boss Gary O’Neil. “The group’s in a much better place, and it will need to be because it’s a fairly difficult test that we face tomorrow.”
–Field Level Media
