Manchester City vs Wolverhampton Wanderers: Haaland, Reijnders provide strong start to Guardiola's side

Hindustan Times

19 hours ago

Erling Haaland and Tijjani Reijnders gave Manchester City the perfect start against Wolverhampton Wanderers as the team led 2-0 on the opening weekend game of the new Premier League season on Saturday, August 16. Pep Guardiola's side is on the road and playing today's game at the Molineux Stadium in Wolverhampton, West Midlands, England. Manchester City vs Wolverhampton Wanderers(AFP)
Manchester City vs Wolverhampton Wanderers: Key highlights
The match started off well as the two sides did not provide enough room for error to each other. The score card went up for Manchester City in the 34th minute when Erling Haaland hit the maiden goal for the side, The Athletic reported.
It all began with a brilliant bit of footwork by Tijani Reijnders, who is making his debut with the side. He was quick into the move past the midfield and later chipped one for Rico Lewis, who later squared it for Haaland to hit it at the back post.
The dream start for Reijnders continued as he hit his maiden goal for the side a few minutes later. This came after a loose pass from the back from Adbadou was picked off by Bobb, who ignored Haaland and rather slid the ball towards Reijnders on the left. The Dutchman took full advantage and whipped his left-footed effort past the goalkeeper into the bottom corner.
At half-time, Manchester City comfortably managed to set a 2-0 lead against the Wanderers.
Manchester City: What to expect this season?
Pep Guardiola's Manchester City certainly witnessed a challenging last season as it stood in the third spot, only behind Liverpool and Arsenal. This was in stark contrast to their prior dominating victories.
During the summer transfer window, Manchester City saw significant changes to its roster as star players like Kevin De Bruyne, Kyle Walker, and Jack Grealish parted ways with the club, while several new, fresh faces were added to the team. Among these were Rayan Ait-Nouri, Rayan Cherki, Tijjani Reijnders, as well as goalkeeper James Trafford.
On the other hand, the Wolverhampton Wanderers struggled in the last season, only managing to reach the 16th position overall. While facing Manchester City in the past, the Wolves have struggled a lot as they have conceded defeat in nine of their 10 previous face-offs.
FAQs
Where to watch the Manchester City vs Wolverhampton Wanderers match?
In the US, fans can catch up on live updates on NBC, Peacock, and Fubo.
What's the playing XI for Manchester City?
This includes Trafford, Lewis, Stones, Dias, Ait-Nouri, Nico, Bernardo (C), Bobb, Reijnders, Doku, and Haaland. The subs are Ortega Moreno, Ake, Marmoush, Cherki, Gundogan, Akanji, Nunes, O'Reilly, and Khusanov.
Who all are playing for Wolverhampton Wanderers?
The starting XI includes Sa, Hoever, Doherty, Agbadou, Toti, Wolfe, Andre, J Gomez, Bellegarde, Munetsi, and Strand Larsen.