Wolves vs Man City: Team news, kick-off time, referee and how to watch Premier League match

Manchester City face Wolverhampton Wanderers this weekend in their final match ahead of the international break.

It is one of just seven Premier League matches that will take place this weekend, with three postponements due to policing issues in the days before the Queen’s funeral.

As a mark of respect, there will be a minute’s silence at Molineux on Saturday, followed by the national anthem, while players will also wear black armbands.

For City, the game against Wolves offers them the chance to, at least temporarily, return to the top of the table, with first-placed Arsenal away to Brentford on Sunday.

Pep Guardiola’s side have won four of their six league matches so far this season, drawing the other two, while they beat Borussia Dortmund 2-1 in the Champions League on Wednesday.

Erling Haaland grabbed a dramatic late winner against his former side in midweek and will be hoping to add to his 13-goal haul so far in sky blue, when City travel to the Midlands.

As for Wolves, they’ve had a disappointing start to the campaign and have picked up six points so far. But Bruno Lage’s side did secure their first win of the season last time out, when they beat Southampton 1-0.

This was also the fixture last season when Kevin De Bruyne netted a remarkable four goals as City surged towards another league title.

Here’s all the main information ahead of Saturday’s game…

When is the game?

The match is set to take place at 12:30pm on Saturday 17 September 2022.

Is it on TV?

BT Sport are showing live coverage of the clash at Molineux. Full TV information can be found here.

Who is the referee?

Anthony Taylor will take charge of the game. The 43-year-old officiated four Premier League matches involving City last term, which surprisingly, didn’t result in a single win for the champions - an even more remarkable statistic given City only slipped up nine times in 2021/22.

Taylor will be assisted by Gary Beswick and Adam Nunn on Saturday, with Tony Harrington assuming the role of fourth official. From their Stockley Park base, Darren England and Dan Robathan are on VAR duty.

What’s the latest team news?

Kyle Walker and Aymeric Laporte are expected to be the only absentees for City, although the former was named in the England squad on Thursday, indicating his problem isn’t too severe.

Likewise, Laporte is closing in on a return to the team and Guardiola said earlier this week he should be available after the international break.

Bernardo Silva and Phil Foden started on the bench in midweek and could come into the starting XI this weekend, while Ruben Dias was an unused substitute against Dortmund.

As for Wolves, Diego Costa may make his debut for the club after completing a free transfer this week. The striker is unlikely to be fit enough to start, however, and is expected to be named on the bench.

With Sasa Kalajdzic out through injury, Raul Jimenez is the obvious choice to start up front, although the Mexican is a doubt for the game, so Hwang Hee-chan or Daniel Podence offer alternatives.

Chiquinho is the only other absentee for Wolves, who have mainly played in a 4-3-3 shape this season.