Man City vs Wolves LIVE: Pep Guardiola calls for more from fans as Premier League champions return to Etihad looking to close gap to Arsenal – kick-off time, team news and how to follow

Manchester City can ramp up the pressure on Premier League leaders Arsenal by closing the gap to just two points when they host Wolves this afternoon.

Pep Guardiola’s side bounced back from defeat in the Manchester derby to record an emphatic 4-2 comeback win over Tottenham in midweek.

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The reigning champions are still five points behind the Gunners having played a game more and can ill-afford to lose any more ground.

Yet victory over Wolves would put down a marker at the top of the table, with Mikel Arteta’s men in action against Man United later.

City have won their last five in a row against Wolves, which includes a comfortable 3-0 victory in the reverse fixture back in September.

Man City vs Wolves: Date and time

This Premier League contest is set to take place on Sunday, January 23.

It will take place at the Etihad with a kick-off time of 2pm.

Man City vs Wolves: TV channel and live stream

Unfortunately, this fixture has not been picked for television coverage and will not be screened in the UK.

However, highlights will be available on the Sky Sports website and app shortly after the end of the match and then later on Match of the Day.

Updates will also be live on NaijaOnPoint throughout the afternoon.

To tune in to NaijaOnPoint or NaijaOnPoint 2 through the website, click HERE for the live stream.

You can also listen via the NaijaOnPoint app, on DAB digital radio, through your smart speaker and on 1089 or 1053 AM.

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Man City vs Wolves: Team news

Manchester City XI: Ederson, Lewis, Stones, Akanji, Laporte, Rodriguez, Gundogan, Mahrez, De Bruyne, Grealish, Haaland.

Subs: Ortega, Walker, Cancelo, Dias, Ake, Bernardo, Phillips, Palmer, Alvarez.

Wolves XI: Sa, Semedo, Collins, Kilman, Bueno, Nunes, Neves, Lemina, Hwang, Traore, Jimenez.

Subs: Sarkic, Gomes, Jonny, Moutinho, Ait Nouri, Sarabia, Costa, Cunha, Podence.

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Man City vs Wolves: What has been said?

Riyad Mahrez has revealed what Guardiola means when he claims he ‘doesn’t care’ about winning the title.

The Algerian international told NaijaOnPoint: “He will say this to us.

“He wants us to be how we are, how we did mostly in the game today, more in the second half because when we are like this it’s difficult to beat us, and then what happens will happen.

“At the end, like he said, and like he says all the time to us, we have to be what we are and achieve as a team, and then let’s see where it takes us.”

Guardiola himself wants more from his players and the club’s fans, who he called out for their silence.

Asked what the club is missing, the manager said afterwards: “Passion and fire and desire to win from minute one. It’s similar with our spectators, our fans.

“They are silent for 45 minutes. We played good. They booed because we were losing, not because we played badly. We played good. We had more chances, their expected goals was zero.

“They booed because we were losing but it’s the same like our team, maybe we our so comfortable winning four titles in five years. After we scored a goal they react, but that is not the point.”

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Man City vs Wolves: Match facts

• Wolves’ Daniel Podence has scored three goals in his last four Premier League games, as many as he had in his previous 23. He’s scored in consecutive matches for the first time in the competition, with his last four goals being worth seven points to Wolves.
• Man City’s Kevin De Bruyne has been directly involved in nine goals in his last six Premier League appearances against Wolves, scoring five and assisting four. However, all of these goal involvements have come away from home.
• Man City boss Pep Guardiola has won two of his three meetings with Wolves’ Julen Lopetegui in all competitions (L1), with his Bayern Munich side beating Porto 6-1 in April 2015, and Man City beating Sevilla 4-0 in this season’s UEFA Champions League.
• Wolves are the lowest scorers in the Premier League this season, netting just 12 goals in their 19 games so far. However, they’re averaging a goal a game under Julen Lopetegui (4 in 4), compared to 0.5 per game before his arrival this season (8 in 15).
• Wolves have won two of their four Premier League games under Julen Lopetegui (D1 L1), as many as they had won in their previous 22 before his arrival (D6 L14). They’re looking to win back-to-back league matches for the first time since March last season.
• Man City lost their last Premier League game on a Sunday, going down 1-0 at Liverpool in October. They last lost consecutive such matches between February and July 2020 (3 in a row).
• Since their return to the Premier League in 2018, Wolves have received more red cards against Manchester City than they have against any other opponent in the competition (3), accounting for 33% of their total reds in that time (3/9). Nathan Collins was dismissed in the reverse fixture at Molineux this season.
• Wolves have won just four of their 17 Premier League games against reigning champions (D1 L12), losing the last five in a row. However, 50% of these wins came against Manchester City in 2019-20, including their only such away win (2-0).
• Wolves have picked up just four points in eight Premier League visits to Manchester City (W1 D1 L6), with their one win there coming in October 2019.
• Since losing both Premier League games against Wolves in 2019-20, Manchester City have won their last five in a row against them, scoring 16 goals and conceding just three.

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