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Chasing History
Manchester City will be looking to equal another club record Tuesday as they host Wolves at the Etihad.
A win would not only extend the team’s 100% run to 21 games, but it would tie a club record for the longest unbeaten run at 28 games.
Wolves are hoping to end that impressive run and stretch their unbeaten run on the road to four matches in the Premier League.
Lineup News
Nathan Ake remains out for City.
The Dutchman is training alone at the moment as he looks to recover from a muscular problem.
Striker Sergio Aguero returned to the lineup last week in a 2-1 win over West Ham.
The club’s record goalscorer has yet to score in this current Premier League campaign.
Nuno, meanwhile, continues to deal with a string of critical injuries for his side.
Willy Boly and Daniel Podence remain out with hamstring and hip injuries, respectively.
Both have missed their last four games as a result.
Mexican striker Raul Jimenez is still recovering from a horrific skull fracture sustained in a head clash with Arsenal’s David Luiz.
His manager remains confident he’ll play again this season just not by Tuesday.
Feeling right at home
Coming away with points at the Etihad is a rare sight for a visiting side.
Only three times in this Premier League campaign has a top-flight side earned points on Man City’s home ground.
The Citizens only home defeat in league play came in the second match of the season when the fell 5-2 to Leicester City.
Wolves will take some confidence knowing they defeated City last season in this exact fixture 2-0.
If they can be victorious Tuesday, it’ll mark the first time they’ve won back-to-back away fixtures against Man City since winning five straight between 1956 and 1960.
Finding the cracks
In City’s current 20-match winning run, very few teams have found a way through the Sky Blues defence.
During that stretch, only four teams were able to score against City.
Other top-flight teams might want to study the Wolves game tapes against Man City for insights on how to score against them.
Wolves have found the back of the net six times in their last three Premier League matches versus Man City. Adama Traore has scored three times in all those encounters.
Despite losing their last encounter with City, 3-1, Wolves have enjoyed relative success against Pep Guardiola’s side.
Before this season’s opening game, City had gone three games without a win against Wolves, including a shootout loss at the 2019 Premier League Asia trophy.
Leading the pack
Man City has been head and shoulders above the Premier League pack in 2021 in virtually every capacity.
They moved into first place following a victory against West Brom on January 26, and they’ve since increased that lead to 12 points over Manchester United.
In their last 18 Premier League matches, the Citizens have never been behind.
If they can keep that going Tuesday, they’ll match Arsenal’s record of 19 straight league games without trailing set between December 1998 and May 1999.
The only time City’s trailed in all competitions this year came against League Two side Cheltenham Town FC in the fourth round of the FA Cup.
Streaking
While City is comfortably leading the pack, their opponents on Tuesday sit comfortably in the middle after 26 league games.
Just like City, some key losses haven’t severely hampered Nuno’s side, which had a strong month of February.
Wolves head into Tuesday’s matchup unbeaten in their last five Premier League fixtures, winning their last two away from home.
Playing their part
With the absence of star striker Raul Jimenez, Pedro Neto has picked up the slack for his team.
The Portuguese winger has ten goal involvements (five goals- five assists) this season which is more than any Wolves player.
He’s the only player in the club’s history to register as many as ten goal involvements before turning 21 in a single Premier League season.
Speaking of getting involved, that’s something Raheem Sterling’s done plenty of since joining Man City, especially against Wolves.
The City striker has two goals in his last two games against them.
One area he’ll want to improve on, though, is his production on home soil.
In the past two campaigns, only 31% of Sterling’s league goals have come at the Etihad.
Beaten by the best
They say there’s no shame in being beaten by the best, and no team knows that better than Wolverhampton, especially on the road.
The Wanderers have lost 10 of their last 11 top-flight away matches against teams starting the day top of the table.
The last time they beat the first-place team on the road dates back to 1984, when they defeated Liverpool 1-0.
Managers Words
City manager Pep Guardiola says his side can’t afford to be complacent despite their cushion atop the Premier League table.
“They (Wolves) are an incredible team that struggled for four or five games to win games. It happened to us too.
“It happened last season and the beginning of this season, and we were unable to win three games in the first two months (of this season), so still I want more, and tomorrow is a good example.
“Tomorrow is an incredibly tough game, and next Sunday against United (will be too) – I saw how strong they were against Chelsea (on Sunday). Still, a lot of nice things to play for.”
Match Info
Tuesday’s match from the Etihad takes place at 8 pm. (JSL).
