Man City predicted XI vs Wolves gallery - seven changes to line-up after Pep Guardiola criticism

We’re predicting Pep Guardiola to switch around his Manchester City side after his rant on Thursday night.

Pep Guardiola may opt to rotate his Manchester City team for Sunday’s Premier League clash with Wolverhampton Wanderers.

The Catalan said after the 4-2 win over Tottenham Hotspur on Thursday that he ‘didn’t recognise’ his players while he also claimed the team had lost concentration and motivation over recent weeks. Guardiola’s team selection in midweek also felt pointed as key players such as Kevin De Bruyne, Bernardo Silva, Phil Foden and Joao Cancelo were named on the bench.

Guardiola may opt to reintroduce those who didn’t start against Spurs and hope his strong words pay dividends when Wolves travel to the Etihad. Yet, the likes of Nathan Ake, Manuel Akanji and Riyad Mahrez are evidently in his good books at present and have tended to play regardless of the opponent.

Rotation will also be a factor for City with just three days between the matches against Spurs and Wolves, albeit the Premier League champions don’t have a mid-week fixture to contend with. They don’t play for five days after Sunday’s game, with an FA Cup encounter against Arsenal next on the horizon for Guardiola. After that, it’s a nine-day gap until City face Antonio Conte’s men again in the league, this time at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Wolves is the kindest fixture in a run of seven games that see’s City face Arsenal and Spurs twice respectively and Manchester United, so Guardiola could have pinpointed Sunday’s clash as an opportunity to rest certain players.

With all that in mind, we’re tipping Guardiola to freshen up his team against Wolves - here’s how we think he’ll line up…

Guardiola may opt to reintroduce those who didn’t start against Spurs and hope his strong words pay dividends when Wolves travel to the Etihad. Yet, the likes of Nathan Ake, Manuel Akanji and Riyad Mahrez are evidently in his good books at present and have tended to play regardless of the opponent.