However, anyone who has seen the two teams play of late will tell Victor Chandler and co that they are probably being a bit generous with their odds, not least when City’s reserves have just spanked us 5-2.

The two sides played out a 7 goal thriller last season

And if Mick obdurately sticks with his preferred 4-4-2 system that guarantees a two goal deficit at half time, the bookies may as well stick a nought on our end.

Even a mindless idiot can see that.

The Team

Our battle hardened manager will surely go 4-5-1 for a game that nobody has us down to get anything from, and a game where many pundits believe the pressure is off completely.

Whether the expected system change has more to do with the class of opposition rather than lessons learnt is up for conjecture, however.

The big question is, who will play in midfield for this one, as it is unlikely Mick will drop the leaden footed Berra or Johnson, despite leaking goals like a sieve during this painful winless run.

If he opts for David Edwards, many fans will be annoyed, bearing in mind Guedioura and Milijas have offered far, far more on Carling Cup showings alone.

That doesn’t make them numpties mind. They probably just remember Anfield like me.

If he does pick one of Guedioura or Milijas to go alongside O’Hara and Henry, most supporters will be supportive, no matter the result. It’s what many have been demanding all season. I go for Guedioura, as he has the better engine and we’ll be doing a hell of a lot of chasing.

As for the wingers, you’ve got to presume that Jarvis will play, being as he is the only player in the entire squad with any pace to trouble any team, despite his poor delivery of late.

I hope Hunt plays on the other flank, even if I am one of Hammill’s biggest advocates. My reasoning for this? That we are going to have to work damn hard on Saturday and a feral-type performance from the Irishman will have the potential to break up the Poznan.

Doyle will plough a lone furrow in a formation where he has always played his best football for Wolves.

The only other change might just be Zubar for Stearman, if the Frenchman is fit. If he is, I’d play him.

The team I expect Mick to play:

Hennessey, Stearman, Berra, Johnson, Ward, Henry, O'Hara, Milijas, Hunt, Jarvis, Doyle

Prediction League

A handful of people predicted a draw against Swansea last time out but only Baltimore Wolves got the scoreline spot on.

Congratulations on a well-earned 3 points.

In all my years of supporting Wolves, this past week has been the most divisive, upsetting and downright painful that I can ever remember.

Feeling marginalised is one thing. Feeling like a lost child stuck between warring parents is quite another.

With that in mind I will utter the words I hope to never utter again.

Forget the result and let us all hope for a performance to take genuine heart from.

The daft thing is that we’ll probably get one, and Mick will then stick with the team that most mindless idiots have been crying out for for weeks.

The even dafter thing is that we might just pull out a freakish result. It has been known.

Come on you Wolves!

Even if it is the League Cup. Even if it is against a side that disposed of Man Utd 6-1.

Bring it on.

I can jabber on about even the most mundane Wolves-related issue with the best of them, but there comes a time – usually when the football itself is no longer the focus – that you have to ask yourself ‘what’s the point?’.

I think we’re at that stage now.

Happy memories from the last home match against City

The fans, as is their right, will continue to probe and debate, but I don’t see what good the players and particularly the manager speaking out can do.

Just get on with it.

Never has the phrase ‘let the football do the talking’ seemed so pertinent.

Of course that’s no easy task with back-to-back matches against the best team in the league. Yikes.

But despite many saying the fixtures couldn’t have worked out worse, I’d argue they couldn’t have been better.

For starters, Molineux will hardly be a cauldron of bitter disgust tonight. Less than 8,000 turned up for the Millwall game in the previous round and that wasn’t even on the box.

So with Jez hiking the prices and the Sky cameras rolling, I’ll be staggered if the ground is anywhere near half-full, despite the illustrious opposition.

What’s more nobody expects us to overcome Man City’s second string and only a scant few are bothered about a place in the quarter-final of the cup with our league form in such alarming disarray.

In fact, I’d wager every single Wolves fan would swap a loss tonight for a win on Saturday (most would probably make the same exchange for a draw).

By my reckoning that means Mick and the players have absolutely nothing to lose and everything to gain.

I hope they make the most of this.

The same logic applies to Saturday.

Sure we’re desperate for Premier League points but the pressure is well and truly off, particularly with the match taking place in Manchester.

Anything gained, other than a good hiding, will be a welcome bonus and provide a timely boost ahead of a gargantuan fixture at home to Wigan the following week.

Personally, I wouldn’t want another match against a side around us immediately after the debacle of Swansea.

I’m positive Mick feels the same.

Here’s hoping for better times and better football.

Up The Wolves.

As it was though, City’s quality in the final third (coupled with our own defensive frailties) was enough to see them through.

In Carlos Tevez, they possess a player capable of turning a game single-handedly and that was exactly what he did at the start of the second half, slaloming through our clumsy defence and finishing clinically to put his team in the driving seat.

City's goal just before half-time was crucial

It was a bitter pill for everyone in old gold to swallow because Wolves had very much been in the ascendancy up to that point. In fact, had it not been for some sloppy marking in the final minutes of the first half, where Stephen Ward got drawn to the ball allowing Kolo Toure to get his shot away, we’d have deservedly gone into the break a goal up.

Mick McCarthy deployed an attack-minded eleven, with Jones and Milijas operating in midfield and it paid dividends in the opening exchanges. When the latter of that midfield duo stole in to poke home the opener, it was no less than Wolves deserved for their early dominance.

It could and perhaps should have got even better, when Fletcher and Hunt conjured up a moment of magic to open the gates, but Jarvis saw his goal-bound effort blocked when a bulging net seemed inevitable. That was a turning point for me because at 2-0, I think this game pans out differently.

As it was though, City battled back and having taken the lead just after the interval, really turned on the style. A swift counter-attack saw Dzeko tee-up Toure and the Ivorian finished with aplomb. Tevez then headed in a killer-fourth as it looked like the home side would run riot.

Credit to Wolves though, when the opposition eased off, they punished them. First, a clumsy challenge from Lescott allowed Doyle to stroke home from the spot and then when Ronald Zubar’s header was adjudged to have inched over the line, the comeback was on.

We had chances to level it up too, Milijas breaking into the City box and over-hitting a cross when four players in gold shirts were waiting to pounce. Then, with the seconds ticking down, forgotten man Mujangi-Bia cut inside and let-fly; his deflected effort spinning agonisingly wide with Joe Hart completely wrong-footed.

And that was that.

In many ways a disappointing result on the balance of play and questions have to be asked about our defending at times.

But spirit is one thing you certainly can’t question.

To score three goals against the meanest defence in the Premier League and at times outplay the team who currently occupy top spot shows that we’re more capable than many give us credit for.

And credit is something Wolves certainly deserve for this performance.

On paper, our away record remains abysmal. We’ve lost 8 out of 10 games on the road and although I believe our performances have merited a greater return, the hard facts show we’ve been poor. It’s just as well our home form has improved or we’d be completely cut-adrift at the bottom.

Wolves lost this fixture 1-0 last season

By contrast, City have identical home and away figures, with six wins, two draws and two defeats on both sides of the stats. Of course, one of those two away defeats came at Molineux. Wolves were excellent that day and deserved to win the game. We can but dream of a repeat performance.

Tellingly, Mancini’s boys have enjoyed a fine run of form since that unexpected setback and have put themselves firmly in contention for the title. They boast the best defensive record in the league and with players like Tevez, Johnson and Silva at their disposal, they’re not short of options going forward either.

So it’s a big ask for Wolves to get anything from this one and team selection will be all important. Elokobi’s suspended for three games as we know, so Ward is almost certain to deputise. With SEB also ruled out with a hamstring injury, it seems likely we’ll continue with Doyle and Fletcher up top. Here’s what I reckon the XI will be:

Hennessy

Zubar
Berra
Stearman
Ward

Hunt
Foley
Edwards
Jarvis

Doyle
Fletcher

Personally, I’d revert to 4-5-1, drop Fletcher and bring a third midfielder (Milijas) into the side. Whilst the 4-4-2 served us well against Chelsea, we had a real joy against City earlier in the season by getting wide players into advanced positions. Jarvis in particular was a thorn in their side all afternoon.

Whatever Mick does we should be bolstered by the return of Karl Henry and Jody Craddock. Both players featured in a reserve game this week, so I’d expect both to be named amongst the substitutes on Saturday. Our squad remains threadbare so we need them back as cover.

Prediction League

Congrats go to Super Kev Doyle and Jon Sidwell for picking up 3 points last time out. Both correctly predicted a bold 1-0 win over Chelsea and it paid off big time. Super Kev deserves a special mention as he also got the result spot on at Anfield. What a double!

Jub, Sleachy and Rich all added a point to their respective totals by getting the outcome right but without the score.

This weekend I’m going for the draw. Obviously it’s a tough fixture, but we’ve shown all season that if we set our stall out and don’t give away silly goals, we can give anyone a game.

Surely we’ll string back-to-back results together again at some point this season and it would by typical of Wolves to achieve that on the most unlikely of weekends. 1-1.

If you’re heading to Eastlands, have a great time and get right behind the lads.

Up The Wolves.

And whilst we can take positives out of last weekend’s narrow defeat at Stamford Bridge, that’s still five defeats in the last six games, leaving us joint-bottom of the table.

Carlos Tevez scored twice in a 3-0 City win last season

Hardly cause for great optimism.

Of course City will be smarting too following that 3-0 home defeat to Arsenal in their last outing, putting a minor dent in their title-chasing ambitions. They’ll be without Carlos Tevez, a player who netted twice in this fixture last season and has seven Premier League goals to his name already. Even with the likes of Adebayor and Balotelli to come in, the scrappy Argentine will be missed.

For Wolves, Karl Henry returns to action following his three match ban and with our skipper certain to waltz back into the starting eleven, someone has to make way. Looking at Mick’s team selection for the midweek Carling Cup defeat at Old Trafford, I suspect the player to drop out will probably be David Jones.

Stephen Hunt must also be pushing for his first Premier League start, but I suspect Jelle van Damme might keep his place, with Mick McCarthy preferring the Belgian’s physical presence down the left flank.

That would mean a team of:

Hahnemann

Foley
Stearman
Berra
Ward

Jarvis
Henry
Milijas
Edwards
van Damme

Doyle

With City almost certain to deploy a five-man midfield also, it could get pretty competitive in the middle of the park. Let’s just hope we come out on top.

Prediction League

Unsurprisingly, many of us correctly predicted that Chelsea would beat Wolves last weekend, but only one person got the score spot on, so congratulations to t’OM for picking up the maximum three points on offer.

I still lead the overall table though. So there.

If you want to join in the Prediction League, simply leave your forecast below and do the same for all official previews in future matches.

This weekend, I’m going for a Wolves win. We’re desperate for a big-result to ignite our season and City look vulnerable away from home. They’ve scored 12 goals this season and Carlos Tevez netted 7 of them. Without him in their side, I think this might be our day. 2-1 Wolves.

If you’re going to the match, have a great time and get behind the lads.

Up The Wolves.

It’s a shame that after good wins over Bolton, Spurs and Burnley, we end the year with back-to-back defeats. Unfortunately though, that’s the cruel nature of the Premier League.

Last night’s match was a bit of a mixed bag for me. I was encouraged by how well we competed with City for long periods, but for all our huff and puff, we never really looked like blowing their house down.

Tevez - Opened the scoring via a deflection

I was disappointed with McCarthy’s team selection, which seemed overly negative and starved us of any real cutting edge in the final third. We sent in a lot of crosses from set pieces and occasionally gave City some uncomfortable moments, but clear cut chances were few and far between. In fact, I can only recall Kevin Doyle’s individual moment of magic forcing Shay Given into any kind of save. Other than that, he was largely untroubled.

Most of Wolves’ best football came in the middle of the park with Surman, Mancienne, Henry and Foley all showing neat touches but never really penetrating the City rearguard with their passes. I’ve got to believe the pace and trickery of Jarvis or the creativity and vision of Milijas would have served us far better last night.

At the back, I thought we did OK, despite shipping three goals. The Garrido free-kick and that late Tevez strike unfairly distorted the final scoreline in my opinion, but if you don’t make the most of your possession, which Wolves didn’t, the top teams will punish you.

We were undoubtedly on the end of some dodgy decisions too of course; none clearer than Bellamy being offside in the lead-up to the free-kick for their second goal. But when the decision went against us, the wall wasn’t setup correctly, and the ball sailed in far, far too easily. Hahnemann has to take some blame for that one.

Some plusses from the match included another impressive display from our record signing. For all the tip-tap passing going on in midfield, Kevin Doyle was the only player who looked like making something happen for Wolves. It’s becoming a familiar tale and I pray that he remains injury free for the lion-share of the season as we’d struggle badly without him.

I also thought Zubar did quite well, but let himself down a few times by simply not concentrating. He’s strong, athletic and decent on the ball for a defender, so has all the attributes to be a great player for Wolves. I just hope that potential is fully realised, because he could end up being very important this season in our bid for survival.

We get a week off from the Premiership adventure now, with the FA Cup match at Tranmere next up. I expect a lot of changes for that match, so we should be recharged and ready to go for crunch back-to-back games against West Ham and Wigan.

The last two matches have been disappointing, but I’ve seen enough to believe we can stay up.

Roll on 2010 I say.

Happy New Year to everyone on Wolves Blog!

Having made the journey to Manchester anticipating a long afternoon and a glimpse of a Top 4 side in the making, I instead enjoyed a wonderful Wolves performance against a City side that looked far from the finished article.

View from the Away End (Click to Expand)

After a frenetic opening 20 minutes, which saw our goal peppered and City camped out in our half, it looked like we’d survived the storm. But then Adebayor struck. It was an undoubted finish of real quality, firing home hard and low from an acute angle, but whether Hennessy could of done better at his near post, is difficult to say.

It looked for the world that City would run away with the match and more goals seemed certain to follow. The pace and quick-passing was more than we could handle and there wasn’t much being offered going forward. Tevez headed wide when he should have scored, Robinho was working openings and all over the pitch, they just looked to be first to everything.

But then it changed…

Almost out of nothing, Matt Jarvis ducked and dived through a few challenges and curled in an absolute beauty, which forced Shay Given into a world class save. It was a sign of things to come.

Doyle and Elokobi came on at the interval for Halford and Milijas as we switched to a 4-4-2, and the complexion of the game completely changed.

Of course City forced some good openings, that’s inevitable with the quality they have and Wolves chasing the game. Ireland slotted wide when clean through and Adebayor ran out of space after rounding Hennessy. But between these chances, it was very much the boys in old gold enjoying the better of it.

Keogh came to life playing alongside Doyle, who also showed glimpses of why we paid 6.5 mill for his services. Jarvis continued to cause havoc down both sides and all of a sudden, Henry and Edwards got to grips with the middle of the park and started picking their passes.

Our moment came and went when Keogh cannoned a shot off the bar and you suddenly got the impression, we were just going to come up short.

But the bombardment continued and we rained down countless balls into their box, without really connecting with anything.

Back to front, it was an awesome second-half performance from Wolves. Mancienne and Craddock stood up strong and covered each other’s tracks for the whole 90 minutes. Much credit must also go to the likes of Stearman, Edwards and Ward who huffed and puffed throughout, driving us on and shutting down space. Keogh continues to be a man transformed and his partnership with Doyle showed signs of genuine promise.

So all in all, a defeat with plenty to be positive about.

But by the end, with City fans heading for the exits early, I couldn’t help but think about what might have been.

Player Ratings

Here’s a player-by-player rundown:

Wayne Hennessy

7/10 – Was always going to be a long afternoon for the Welsh international. Could he have done better with the goal? Maybe. But other than that, he handled and kicked well throughout. Did well to force Adebayor wide when clean through and spread himself well to put Ireland off.

Richard Stearman

7/10 – Given the horrid task of keeping Robinho quiet and at times the Brazilian twisted and turned him inside out. But as the match progressed, he seemed to grow in confidence and take control. Making himself a real contender for a regular starting role.

Michael Mancienne

7/10 – Despite being caught out of position a few times, I thought this was another solid performance from the young defender. Struggled against the pace and power of Adebayor at times, but never let his head go down and battled right to the end.

Jody Craddock

8/10 – Best performance of the season so far from Jody. Headed and kicked everything away and was hard in the tackle all afternoon. Definitely looks better alongside the pace and skill of Mancienne. Won’t be disappointed if the two continue against Hull.

Stephen Ward

7/10 – Consistent again. Played the first half at left back and most of the second on the left wing. In defence he once again looked solid enough but was exposed a few times by Wright-Phillips. Was maybe a little lucky not to concede a penalty for a tug on the wide-man. When moved further forward he caused Richards a few problems with some good footwork. Subbed late on but another good showing.

Greg Halford

6/10 – Looked a bit tired to me and struggled to assert himself in the way he did in previous games. We know he’s carrying a knock so it was little surprise to see him withdrawn at the interval.

Karl Henry

7/10 – A few loose passes in the first-half could of cost us dearly, but he had to make those risky balls as nobody was offering up. In the second half he was much more in command and looked strong against top quality opposition.

Nenad Milijas

5/10 – Not a great day at the office for the Serbian. Struggled in the first half as City closed everything down and gave him no space to operate. He still looked tidy enough on the ball but this wasn’t his game. Taken off at half-time. He will surely have a big role to play in home games as we try to unlock defences.

Dave Edwards

7/10 – What you see is what you get from Edwards. Runs all day long and when we switched to a four man midfield in the second half, we needed that engine at both ends of the pitch. Competed well and picked out our wide men on countless occasions. Will he keep his place against Hull?

Matt Jarvis

8.5/10 – Probably just pips Craddock to the Man of the Match champagne for Wolves. Wasn’t as effective in the first-half but still forced that world class save out of Given with a flash of genius. In the second half with Wolves on the front foot, he was a great outlet down both flanks. I still think there’s more to come from Jarvis and that is a very exciting prospect.

Andy Keogh

7.5/10 – As a lone striker in the first half, he was surrounded and bullied by Dunne and Toure. Alongside Doyle in the second half, he came to life. Got into all kinds of good positions, drifted in a lovely cross that his strike partner couldn’t quite connect with and smashed a volley against the bar. Deserves nothing but credit for how he’s handled the step up.

Substitutes

Sam Vokes

7/10 – With crosses raining into the City area late on, Mick threw Big Sam on to get on the end of something. Got up and competed but nothing really fell his way. Maybe deserves more time on the pitch than he’s getting but difficult with Keogh playing so well and our other stars returning from injury.

Kevin Doyle

8/10 – The first time I’ve seen Doyle and boy did he impress me. Held the ball up well and looked strong. But when he managed to find space, he came to life and was a real threat. If this promising 45 minute cameo is anything to go by, that £6.5 million might end up looking a snip.

George Elokobi

8/10 – What can you say about Big George? Everyone wondered how he’d stand up to the more skillful, tricky wingers of the Premiership and he showed yesterday, that he wasn’t having any nonsense. Wright-Phillips tried to take him on but ended up eating a grass sandwich. Going forward, his quality needs to improve but he still sent in a couple of decent balls. His sheer presence on the pitch makes a difference, which always makes him a player you have to think about picking.

Anyway, here’s City fan John to share his thoughts ahead of the game:

Hello Wolves fans. Your blog maestro Thomas has kindly asked me to write this preview for Saturdays game between these two great clubs, I’ll try and break it down so it’s easy to read as I have been known to ramble:

Can Money buy Success?

Tevez - One of many big money arrivals at City

The answer is yes, but it does take time. As I’m sure you’re aware by now, Man City have the richest club owner in the world. We are not the richest club as many papers make out, that title belongs to the red half of Manchester.

Our far eastern promise has brought in many players this season, but if I had to pick my favourite it would be Barry. His record goes before him and so far he’s proved a great bit of business

Only time will tell if the investment will pay off, but it should be a great ride.

More than once in a Blue Moon

Well let’s start with City’s form: we had a mixed pre-season with only one goal from our strikers and two wins out of 7 games.

Following this iffy form, City produced a good result at Blackburn to get us up and running for the season.

We also played a midweek game against Barca, which in front of 92,000 of their fans, we won 1-0. So we go into Saturday’s game full of confidence.

Welcome to The Middle Eastlands – The City of Manchester Stadium

First of I would like to say I look forward to chanting against those of you attending the match on Saturday. I also hope you have a great day out no matter what the result.

Eastlands is one of the largest and newest stadiums in the premiership and about 42,000 blues and 6000 away fans, a tidy total of 48k. Given the build up during the summer it should be packed out on Saturday.

On your arrival you will notice Manchester City Councils waste of money: ‘The B of the Bang’. A giant abstract art piece which was never completed and now burdens the landscape surrounding our stadium.

Our match day marshals are fair people and allow you to stand and chant which is more than some clubs allow away fans to do.

Wolves will need to beware as last season City had a better home record than Arsenal. At home Hughes and his team turn on the style and players like Robinho play to their best.

Will City Play 1-1-8?

Despite the digs of many WUMS and lesser TV and paper pundits, City will not play a mythical 8 strikers up front. The reality is that our front line options are made up of Robinho, Tevez. Adabayor, Bellamy and Santa Cruz, all our other strikers are either on loan, released or are in the process of being shipped out. Out of those players Santa is out injured until September.

Our front line can also include wide men such as Wright-Phillips, Petrov (our unsettled, but inform left winger). We Also have a young Slovak lad called Vladimir Weiss, but more on that little gem later.

City will most likely play 4-3-3 against Wolves, with the team sheet seeing Nigel De Jong returning to the midfield in place of Wright Phillips. Up front there is a chance of seeing a magic 3 of Robinho, Adebayor and Tevez, which has us City fans salivating at the prospect.

We have a big squad with a bench that is probably only matched by Utd, Chelski and maybe Spurs. Although my predicted 4-3-3 is likely based on pre-season formation, we have the options within the squad to try any formation you can think of, and played a 4-4-2 away to Blackburn.

Gold & Black Magic

I expect Wolves will send their team out using a 4-1-4-1 formation as given that we may play 3 up front you need the protection of a anchor man In midfield. Outside of that you will need the extra player in midfield to minimize the influence of our creative players.

Players to Look Out For

Ireland will be my man for you to watch during the match. Our little Irish granny killing, pink car wheeled wonder is the type of player who as well as making things happen in the midfield, is also capable of scoring important goals from Long and short distances. Last term he scored 10 goals, was our player of the season, our most improved player and has become a symbol of our academy and the team.

Following a strong pre-season and a start at the Camp Nou in Wednesdays friendly, Vladimir Weiss is without doubt a young player to watch. If he does comes on as a sub you will see this 19 year old Slovak light up the pitch. He is a quick, two footed winger with the skills to match. A star in the making.

The End of The ‘Sky Four’?

Where will Manchester City finish is difficult to predict.

What is clear is this: For Hughes to keep his job we must finish in the top six, which is reasonable given that he has spent £200m+ on playing staff alone.

Personally I think we will finish 5th but feel we miss that one player in defence that holds many top 4 teams together, although Shay Given may yet prove to be that player. In my opinion he is only bettered by Cech and Van der Sar.

Dog-Fight

The obvious question is whether Wolves can stay up?

Personally I think you have a chance providing your fans back the team at home like Stoke’s did. Unless Portsmouth are sold into Arab money by the end of the transfer window they and Hull may go down. That I believe leaves you, Burnley and Birmingham to fight it out to avoid 18th place, I feel Birmingham have the strongest squad so will survive, so it basically comes down to you and Burnley.

As for tomorrow…

As a Blue I’m not really going to predict anything other than a win for City. The scoreline depends on how you go about playing: If you play an open flowing game you could find game finishing 3-1 or worse for you.

Alternatively if you work hard and close us down and somehow keep are star players in check you may come away with a respectable 2-1 or 1-0.

If City fail to meet up to their pre-season expectations as we all too often do, there is always a chance of you nicking a valuable point.

Anyway I hope you enjoyed my blog and those of you attending the game have a great day out.