Molineux plays host to a fascinating curtain-raiser on Saturday evening as Wolverhampton Wanderers kick off their eighth straight Premier League campaign against a Manchester City side determined to reclaim its crown.

Last season was a rollercoaster for Wolves. Under Gary O’Neil, they limped to just one point from their first eight games and 15 from their first 23, flirting dangerously with relegation. But the arrival of Vitor Pereira in February sparked a revival, the 57-year-old Portuguese transforming from an unfamiliar figure to a cult hero in the Black Country. Ten of their 12 league wins came under his watch, and his habit of celebrating with fans in local pubs has cemented his place in Wolves folklore.

Still, summer has not been kind in terms of results. Wolves failed to win any of their five pre-season friendlies, drawing once and losing four, most recently a narrow home defeat to Celta Vigo. They also lost last season’s top scorer Matheus Cunha and left-back Rayan Ait-Nouri to City. New faces Jhon Arias, Fer Lopez and David Moller Wolfe have arrived, with up to three more signings expected. History, however, offers little comfort — Wolves have lost their last four opening-day fixtures and have beaten City just twice in their last 10 league meetings, the last time in 2019.

City, for their part, are looking to bounce back from what by their standards was a disappointing campaign. Third place in the league, no major trophies for the first time in eight years, and an early FIFA Club World Cup exit told the story of injuries and dips in form for key players. Pep Guardiola has overseen significant change this summer, waving goodbye to Kevin De Bruyne, Kyle Walker and Jack Grealish, and welcoming Tijjani Reijnders, Rayan Cherki and goalkeeper James Trafford. Their pre-season was light — just two games, both wins — but their record in season openers away from home is formidable, with seven wins from the last eight.

Wolves will be without Leon Chiwone, Yerson Mosquera and Fabio Silva, the latter expected to leave before the window shuts. Pereira is set to stick with his 3-4-3 system, potentially handing league debuts to Arias and Lopez alongside striker Jorgen Strand Larsen, who netted 14 league goals last term.

City remain without Mateo Kovacic, Kalvin Phillips and likely Rodri, while Phil Foden, Josko Gvardiol and Claudio Echeverri will need late fitness checks. Former Wolves pair Ait-Nouri and Matheus Nunes could start, with Reijnders pushing for his Premier League debut. Erling Haaland — eight goals in five games against Wolves — should spearhead the attack.

Pereira’s side has spirit and fresh attacking options, but City’s firepower and away-day pedigree should see them score. It's early season and I believe it takes time to focus, so Wolves can definitely catch City sleeping!

周六晚上，莫里纽将迎来一场精彩的揭幕战，伍尔弗汉普顿流浪者将开始他们的英超联赛第八个赛季，对手是决心重夺冠军的曼城。

上个赛季狼队就像坐过山车一样。在加里·奥尼尔的带领下，他们在前8场比赛中只得到1分，在前23场比赛中只得到15分，与降级擦肩而过。但今年2月，佩雷拉的到来引发了一场复兴，这位57岁的葡萄牙人从一个不为人所熟悉的人物变成了黑人国家的偶像英雄。他们的12场联赛胜利中有10场是在他的监督下取得的，他和球迷一起在当地酒吧庆祝的习惯巩固了他在狼队民间传说中的地位。

尽管如此，夏天的结果并不乐观。狼队在季前赛的5场友谊赛中一场都没赢，1平4负，最近的一场是主场险胜维戈塞尔塔。他们还失去了上赛季的头号射手库尼亚和左后卫埃特-努里。新面孔约翰·阿里亚斯，费尔·洛佩斯和大卫·穆勒·沃尔夫已经到来，预计还会有三名球员加盟。然而，历史并没有给狼队带来什么安慰——狼队在最近的四场揭幕战中输掉了比赛，在过去的10场联赛中，他们只击败了曼城两次，最近一次是在2019年。

对于曼城来说，他们希望能从一场令人失望的比赛中恢复过来。联赛第三名，八年来第一次没有重大奖杯，国际足联世俱杯早早出局，这都说明了关键球员的伤病和状态下滑。瓜迪奥拉在这个夏天进行了重大的改变，告别了凯文·德布鲁因、凯尔·沃克和杰克·格雷利什，欢迎了蒂贾尼·赖金德斯、拉扬·切尔基和门将詹姆斯·特拉福德。他们的季前赛很清淡——只有两场比赛，都是胜利——但他们的赛季首战客场战绩令人敬畏，在过去的8场比赛中取得了7场胜利。

狼队将失去奇翁、莫斯克拉和席尔瓦，后者预计将在转会窗口关闭前离开。佩雷拉将坚持他的3-4-3阵型，可能会把联赛首秀让给阿里亚斯和洛佩斯，以及上赛季打进14球的前锋拉尔森。

曼城仍然没有科瓦契奇、菲利普斯和罗德里，而菲尔·福登、乔斯科·格瓦迪奥尔和克劳迪奥·埃切韦里将需要晚些时候进行健康检查。前狼队搭档埃特-努里和努内斯可能首发，赖金德斯也在争取他的英超首秀。哈兰德在对阵狼队的5场比赛中打入8球，他应该成为进攻的先锋。

佩雷拉的球队有精神和新的进攻选择，但曼城的火力和客场血统应该会让他们进球。赛季刚开始，我相信需要时间来集中注意力，所以狼队绝对可以抓住曼城的机会！