In Manchester City’s monotony, Rodri is the light

Pep Guardiola and Manchester City kick off the new season with a trip to Molineux to face Wolverhampton at 19.30. The team enters with clear ambitions to reclaim the Premier League throne, fully aware that, alongside Liverpool and Arsenal—who finished ahead of them last season—this will be no easy task.

It has been more than 250 days since Manchester City’s hearing over 117 Financial Fair Play violations concluded, yet no decision has been announced. It was expected in the first quarter of the year, with speculation it would come by spring at the latest, but nothing materialized. The case has now carried over into the new season, prolonging the uncertainty about the club’s future at the Etihad.

Adding to the pressure, City failed to win any trophies last season—a rare occurrence in the Pep Guardiola era—but the players appear motivated to challenge on all four fronts this year.

“We are ready. We had a short preseason, but a very good one, and we are ready to start, enjoy the good moments, and get back as soon as possible. I can’t promise it will happen, but there are signs we can be better. Maybe we can also do worse! You never know, but I think things will improve,” Guardiola said.

A key factor for City’s success will be the return of Ballon d’Or winner Rodri. After a long break, he suffered a minor setback during summer recovery, but he is fit and traveling for the match, along with Phil Foden.

“That was a tough injury. They say that a year after it, you always have some muscle problems, so we are desperately trying to avoid that, but it’s hard to know how many minutes and games he needs. He really wants to play. We need his ambition, personality, and quality,” Guardiola explained.

Last season, City beat Wolves in both meetings: 2-1 at Molineux in October and 1-0 at the Etihad in May.

“We’ll try to beat Wolves, and then we’ll see what comes next. We’ve won the Premier League six times together, and I’ve never said at the first press conference that we would take this or that title. I don’t know, I wish I could tell you. I have no idea. What matters is trying to stay healthy, play well, and apply what’s best for the type of players we have,” added the City manager.

Gigi not registered by PSG, City is monitoring

Wolves had a mixed preseason, drawing 1-1 with Stoke and losing to Lens (3-1), Girona (2-1), and Celta Vigo (1-0). Manager Vítor Pereira promises his team will fight for every point.

“The preseason results weren’t what we expected, but we built good team spirit. We are working hard to improve the squad, instill the right mentality, and help new players understand what we want from them. The players are performing at the level I want to see. Now it’s time to start competing,” Pereira said.

The Portuguese coach acknowledges that Manchester City are strong favorites.

“If you look at their players and the ones they brought in during the break, they have a fantastic team and manager. It’s not the time to look at City; it’s time to compete. To go out, show courage, be united, have quality, and play good football,” concluded the Wolves manager.

ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE - MATCHDAY 1

Friday

Liverpool - Bournemouth 4-2 (1-0)

/Ekitike 37, Gakpo 49, Chiesa 88, Salah 90+4 - Semenyo 64,76/

Saturday

14.30: (2.30) Aston Villa (3.60) Newcastle (3.20)

17.00: (1.95) Brighton (3.50) Fulham (3.90)

17.00: (3.20) Sunderland (3.45) West Ham (2.35)

17.00: (1.38) Tottenham (4.70) Burnley (8.50)

19.30: (6.75) Wolverhampton (4.40) Man.City (1.48)

Sunday

16.00: (1.63) Chelsea (3.80) Crystal Palace (5.70)

16.00: (2.20) Nott.Forest (3.40) Brentford (3.30)

18.30: (3.60) Man.Utd. (3.50) Arsenal (2.15)

Monday

22.00: (2.50) Leeds (3.25) Everton (2.90)

***odds are subject to change***