Blue chews-daze: First league defeat of the season…

…for us was the result when we visited Molineux last season. We also had no Rodri that day either and our midfield, particularly Kovacic and Nunes who was withdrawn at half time, had a 'horrible day at the office’ that Saturday afternoon.

However, that’s not the only time our hosts have delivered a so-called “shock” result against us in recent seasons and any Blue looking at their league position this time round and thinking that this game is an absolute shoo-in would be wise not to suggest it out loud…and certainly not within earshot of Pep.

v Wolverhampton Wanderers

Molineux

Predicted line-up, subs and outcome:

(Number correct from the starting line-up in the last game: 9/11).

A very fluid 4-1-4-1 / 4-5-1 / 4-3-3 (occasional 3-6-1):

____________________Haaland____________________

Grealish_________________________________Savinho

_______________________________Foden___________

____________Silva_______________________________

_____________________Stones____________________

Gvardiol___________________________________Lewis

____________Dias_______________Akanji___________

____________________Ederson____________________

Subs: Carson, Ortega, Walker, Kovacic, McAtee, Gundogan, Nunes and Doku.

Ederson starts in net.

I’m going for a back 4, occasional 3, of Josko, Ruben, Manuel and Rico.

I think Pep might give John a go at the Rodri role on Sunday afternoon; with the England man dropping back to make a defensive 3 whenever Gvardiol and Lewis make inverted inroads.

Jack to ‘get the nod’ from his boss on the left, Savinho on the right with Bernardo and Phil in between.

Erling up front.

As appears customary at the moment with our manager, I’m going for just eight from a possible nine on the bench; with two keepers and no youth outfield players. Go figure…🤷‍♂️ Scott and Stefan are the two stoppers in question; Kyle is the only defender on the bench in my predicted matchday squad. Mateo, James, Ilkay and Matheus make up four midfielders on the side, while Jeremy is the only wide man in ‘the 9’.

Notable absences:

- Nathan Ake – Has only very recently resumed training with his teammates following a thigh injury but it was said of our Dutch international that he could travel but wouldn’t be fit to start. He may well be on the coach but I’m guessing he won’t even be on the bench – what would be the point of risking an appearance so soon?

- Rodri – Injured Anterior Cruciate Ligament and will be missing for the remainder of the season.

- Kevin De Bruyne – Similar to Nathan, Kevin is back with his mates on the training ground and continues his recovery from a groin / hip / pelvic issue. It sounds like he’s still a little behind Ake with his recovery, as he carefully manages his own body these days. At least he’s making progress. 👍

- Oscar Bobb – Out injured with a fractured leg that he received in training. Expected return is anywhere between mid-November and mid-December, going off the initial assessment / information released at the time. The more optimistic of those two timescales doesn’t now sound all that far off. 👍

Do I agree with Pep’s (predicted) line-up?

Yep.

Result?

Well, I’ve warned against any City complacency either from the fans or, especially, the players and I stick by that. Plus, let’s not forget, this game follows an international break and I know the same applies to both teams…but I just don’t think we look good a lot of the time following these pesky breaks in domestic football.

All of that being said, our host really are having a dire start to the season, although our studious manager has warned that [Some of? All of?] their performance aren’t reflected by their results. I don’t know. Either way, L L D L L L L F9 A21 makes for horrible reading. They did beat Championship opposition 2-0 in the League Cup 2^nd round but were then beaten 3-2 in the 3^rd round by Premier League opponents.

I think it’s only fair to point out that after they have played us and then Brighton away, the team who knocked them out of the League Cup, they will have faced all of the current top seven sides in their opening nine league outings. Tough hand dealt indeed.

If we bring our ‘A game’, improve our defending and, indeed, don’t get sloppy / prepare well for fast counter attacks, then this is most definitely 3 points to be had. If we DON'T do all of those things then we could find ourselves kicking the ground in frustration, shaking our collective heads and wondering how the hell we missed an opportunity to keep pressure on those around us in the table.

With a fairly hefty sigh and fingers crossed, I’m going for us to turn up and do a professional job at Molineux. It’s a predicted City win from me.

Last season’s, corresponding pre-match prediction and result:

Prediction: Win

Result: Lost

(Pre-match blog posting from that game)

Expected weather conditions during the game: After very strong winds and some wet stuff earlier in the day / morning, things begin to improve as we approach kick off. There could well be rain still falling as the referee signals to start the game but it should begin to dry up and, as the game progresses, even brighten up. 15C is not bad at ALL for mid-to-late October and with a still-stiff, southerly breeze dragging up warm, continental air; it might even feel quite pleasant. A nice, lightly-watered pitch before the game too, just as Pep likes it.