The odds are stacked against Wolves pulling off an upset when they host Manchester City on Sunday afternoon.
It’s been a miserable start to the season for Gary O’Neil’s men, who sit bottom of the Premier League table on one point and without a win since April.
As for Manchester City, they head to Wolves unsurprisingly with the bit between their teeth after going unbeaten in their first seven games as they aim to make it a fifth successive league title.
With their confidence on the floor, O’Neil will be desperate to mastermind another win over Man City and kickstart their season into life.
However, Gary Neville has given them no chance, predicting Man City to beat Wolves 3-0, with Paul Merson forecasting a 2-0 scoreline.
Hardly anyone, even of a Wolves persuasion, expects their side to pick up a positive result against the champions but Kevin Nolan is surprisingly optimistic.
Kevin Nolan predicts Wolves upset vs Man City
In September 2023, O’Neil switched to a three-man defence and secured a mammoth 2-1 win over Pep Guardiola’s men, with Hwang Hee-chan scoring the winner.
Hwang is sidelined for the next couple of weeks and is unavailable for this match but Nolan – who was O’Neil’s teammate during their playing days at West Ham – is tipping him to pull off another upset at Molineux.
When asked for his shock of the weekend, Nolan said on BBC’s West Yorkshire Sport: “I am going to go with Wolves beating Manchester City again. They did it last year. They have got to start picking up points, I think they have been unlucky in a few games, but I am going to go with my old mate Gary O’Neil to cause a massive upset and beat Man City.”
It would be a shock huge if Wolves were to pull off an upset against the champions this weekend, especially given their current position, but they have to believe they can make Nolan’s prediction come true.
Wolves most likely match-winner vs Man City
As seen in their most recent games, where City have conceded twice to Fulham and looked shaky defensively against Newcastle, Guardiola’s men will leave space to exploit on the counter.
Wolves will just need to ride out the early storm and hold firm, knowing they’ll carve out at least one or two golden opportunities to score.
Putting the ball in the back of the net hasn’t been an issue for the Old Gold this term, who scored twice against Chelsea and put three past Brentford in their last match.
However, they must continue showing that clinical edge against the champions, with Matheus Cunha the likely match-winner for Wolves this weekend.
If anyone can produce a moment of brilliance in the game, it’s the Brazilian star. He’s been O’Neil’s best player this term, scoring three goals in seven appearances.
The 25-year-old has also shown he can score against the big sides, striking a hat-trick in the win over Chelsea last term and a consolation in the defeat to Arsenal.
That should fill fans with confidence of a return in this fixture, with O’Neil needing some magic to turn the game in his favour.