Manchester City’s Premier League Campaign Kicks Off with a Tough Clash Against Wolves at Molineux

Manchester City began their 2025-26 Premier League season with an away match against Wolverhampton Wanderers at Molineux Stadium on August 16, 2025. The Citizens are eager to bounce back from a challenging previous season in which they lost their Premier League crown to Liverpool and finished third overall.

Wolves, coming off a difficult last season where they finished 16th, faced the daunting task of hosting the eight-time champions. The Midlands club experienced a significant summer overhaul, selling key players such as Matheus Cunha, Nelson Semedo, and Rayan Aït-Nouri, the latter moving to Manchester City. This left Wolves grappling with squad cohesion issues, especially after a pre-season without any clean sheets and results reflecting mixed form.

Manchester City also underwent major changes, letting go of veteran stalwarts like Kevin De Bruyne, Kyle Walker, and Jack Grealish to make room for new signings. Bernardo Silva took over the captaincy in a squad looking to reclaim the Premier League title. Notably, City's lineup for the match did not include goalkeeper Ederson and winger Phil Foden, both absent from the matchday squad, with young goalkeeper Trafford starting in goal.

Wolves aimed to disrupt Manchester City’s momentum, but their recent head-to-head record has been unfavorable—they lost nine of the last ten meetings including a late 95th-minute loss to City in the same fixture last season. Despite this, any result other than defeat would have been considered a positive start for the hosts.

Key figures in the City squad included Bernardo Silva in midfield alongside newcomers Nico Gonzalez and Oscar Bobb, with Michael Reijnders, Erling Haaland, and Jeremy Doku leading the attack. Wolves started with a lineup featuring Sa in goal, a defensive line including Doherty and Agbadou, and forwards Strand Larsen and Bellegarde.

Pre-match predictions favored Manchester City with a probable 2-0 victory, highlighting the expected offensive threat of Haaland and the team's overall superiority. The match was seen as a critical test for Pep Guardiola’s squad to set the tone for the season and to shake off disappointments from the previous campaign.

The match kicked off at 12:30 p.m. ET under anticipation from fans and pundits alike, keen to witness how both teams will adjust their strategies after considerably refreshing their squads over the summer transfer window.