Vitor Pereira expresses confidence in Wolves’ rebuilt squad as they prepare to face Manchester City in their Premier League opener. Despite key player departures, new signings and Pereira’s tactical vision aim to challenge the champions. Man City, with their own additions and the reliance on John Stones’ fitness, pose a significant threat. The match prediction favors Man City, considering their historical dominance and Wolves’ recent struggles.
As the 2025-26 Premier League season approaches, Wolverhampton Wanderers, commonly known as Wolves, are gearing up for a fresh start following a significant summer rebuild. Manager Vitor Pereira remains confident that his revamped squad can challenge reigning champions Manchester City right from the opening match.
Pereira, who successfully steered Wolves to safety last season, has since overseen a period of substantial change at Molineux. Several key players have departed for new opportunities, necessitating a significant overhaul of the team. Among the notable departures is top scorer Matheus Cunha, who has joined Manchester United. Additionally, Rayan Ait-Nouri has reunited with Pep Guardiola at Manchester City. Goncalo Guedes, Nelson Semedo, Chiquinho, and Pablo Sarabia have also left the club on free transfers.
However, Wolves have been active in the transfer market, bringing in four new faces to bolster their squad. While Pereira acknowledges that integrating these new players and establishing a cohesive team identity will take time, he expresses great faith in the current squad's potential. He emphasizes that building a new team and instilling his own tactical philosophy is one of the most rewarding aspects of his managerial career.
"I'm positive, and I'm excited because this is the best league in the world, and, for me, it's a pleasure to be here. In football, each season is a new season," Pereira stated. "You always need to reinvent yourself because we'll face different challenges. We need to rebuild our identity, to reinforce our identity, and this will take some time."
He added, "We have some new players, and I'm expecting another one or two or three, and the club is working on that, so we'll see, as I cannot say now that we are at our best level, we still need to have time for this." Pereira emphasizes the "magic" he needs in his life is to work and create. "For me, each season is a chance for me to create, to rebuild and to express myself so I can help my team. This is the butterflies and the passion that I feel."
Manchester City have also been busy in the transfer window, welcoming several new players to the Etihad Stadium. The most notable arrival is Tijjani Reijnders, who joined from AC Milan for a reported fee of £46.5m (€53.7m). The club have also secured the services of Ait-Nouri, Rayan Cherki, James Trafford, Sverre Nypan and Marcus Bettinelli.
Despite the influx of new talent, Guardiola believes that John Stones, who has been with the club since 2016, will be crucial to City's success this season. Stones' 2024-25 season was plagued by injuries, limiting him to just 20 appearances in all competitions. However, Guardiola recognizes Stones' importance to the team's past achievements and believes he will play a significant role if he can maintain his fitness.
"Massively," Guardiola responded when asked about Stones' importance. "In the years of the Treble and quadruple, John Stones was massively important for us. He is a top-class player, but last season he played less than 30 percent of the games for us. He was injured a lot of times." He would also mention that what they "want is for him to be fit", as they need him, even though they have "good central defenders".
Players to Watch
Wolves - Jhon Arias: Arias' impressive performances at the Club World Cup for Fluminense led to his move to the Premier League. The Colombian international is known for his creativity and ability to create chances for his teammates. He will be looking to make his mark against Guardiola's side.
Man City - Rayan Cherki: Cherki, a £36m (€41.6m) signing, is expected to add flair and creativity to City's midfield. Last season, no player provided more assists in Ligue 1 than Cherki (11). He was also involved in 13 goals in his last 15 league appearances for Lyon (five goals, eight assists).
Match Prediction: Man City Win
Manchester City boast a formidable record in their opening league games, winning their first match in 13 of the last 14 seasons, the exception being a 1-0 loss at Tottenham in 2021-22. They also have a habit of starting the season strongly.
City have lost just one of their last 31 Premier League games in August (W26 D4), triumphing in their last eight games during the month by an aggregate score of 25-5. And they have often enjoyed trips to the West Midlands.
Across the last five Premier League campaigns, Guardiola's side have won the joint-most games (four) and scored the most goals (14) of any side when facing Wolves at Molineux (W4 D0 L1 F14 A5). Wolves, meanwhile, have lost nine of their last 10 Premier League meetings with City (W1), although their one victory in this period did come at Molineux early in the season, winning 2-1 in September 2023 under Gary O'Neil.
After being unbeaten in their opening league match in eight consecutive campaigns between 2013-14 and 2020-21 (W4 D4), Wolves have lost their first game of a new season in each of the last four years, and they will be aiming for a positive result this time around. They also stumbled to a 16th-place finish in 2024-25.
After a six-game winning run in March and April, Wolves failed to win any of their final four Premier League games of 2024-25 (D1 L3). Given Manchester City's historical dominance in opening games and their strong record against Wolves, a victory for the Citizens appears the most likely outcome.
Opta Win Probability:
- Wolves – 17.1%
- Draw – 21.1%
- Man City – 61.8%