Wolverhampton Wanderers vs Manchester City Preview: All eyes on Fabio Silva tearing up City's weak defense
Manchester City and Pep Guardiola will begin their 2020-21 Premier League season with their clash against Wolverhampton Wanderers on Monday, September 21, at 3.15 pm ET. Guardiola's side are hoping to wrestle the title back from Liverpool this season, but face a difficult opening test against a team that beat them home and away last term. The match will be aired live on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Premier League and can also be streamed on Sky Go and Now TV.
Wolverhampton Wanderers
Fabio Silva, the teenage striker, could be in for his first as a Wolves player against Manchester City. If the Wolves win, they will be the fourth team to win 2,000 matches in the top four tiers of English football after Man United, Liverpool and Arsenal. The Wolves' deeper bench and previous performances against the City give them a very good chance of derailing the City’s bid to regain their title. Fabio, the youngest player to represent Porto in the league, has signed a five-year deal at Molineux. The Wolves are aiming to win three consecutive top-flight home matches for the first time since November 1980.
Manchester City
Guardiola will look to kickstart the campaign on a positive note after their tremendous performance. The Manchester City manager will be without two first-team players with Aymeric Laporte and Sergio Aguero unavailable for Monday's match. The City won their last five Premier League games with an aggregate of 21-1. Nathan Ake might start on his debut, as Laporte is returning late for his training after his bout with the Covid-19. Guardiola is in danger of losing three consecutive league games against a single opponent for the first time in his managerial career.
All eyes on Fabio Silva
According to the Wolves' website, the 18-year-old made his full debut for his new club on Thursday, September 17, where the Wolves won the match against the Sheffield United. On joining the club Silva said, “It’s really good being here with all these players who are people I look up to and all the familiar faces gave me the confidence to come. I had a great welcoming because they took me indifferently and it was easier to feel part of the team this way. On breaking Ruben Neves’ Porto records in the game he said, I am very happy because I think Ruben and I have a very similar story. We left Porto quite early on and came here. I know that the transfer fee broke a record as well, but I think that is normal, something that just happens, but for us, as players, we don’t have to focus too much on those numbers. It’s more about learning every single day on practice with my teammates and the manager and try to do what I am asked to do to help the team and help them reach their goals.”
"Our recruitment team have been watching Silva since he played for Portugal Under-16s," Wolves chairman Jeff Shi said. "They feel he has always been the best number nine coming through his age group anywhere in Europe." He added: "Fabio is a young player who shows not only his incredible technical ability but also his game intelligence for a player of his age is top class."
The young player said hello to his new team on September 5, 2020, and tweeted, "Hi Ho Wolverhampton."
Where will it happen?
On Monday, Molineux Stadium will be seen with a much lesser crowd due to the Covid-19 norms. The 32,050 all-seater stadium, is located in Wolverhampton, West Midlands, England, and has been the home ground for the Wolves since 1889.
Who will win?
This is a game that has all the makings of being a closely contested affair. The Wolves have shown their tremendous techniques twice this season and are trying to find their rhythm, despite facing disappointment in the Carabao Cup second round. Manchester City, on the other hand, should be rusty, meaning their output will take a hit on Monday. Fabio has shown an amazing performance in the game on the other side some of the top players of the Manchester team will not be there for the game, giving a big advantage to the Wolves. So our bid goes with the Wolves.