Manchester City

Nizaar Kinsella
Football reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Galatasaray winger Leroy Sane has spoken emotionally to BBC Sport about what he described as his "true homecoming" as he prepares to face Manchester City on Wednesday night.

• Speaking about facing City, he said: "I'll admit, when the draw came out, I hoped City might have already secured their top-eight spot by the time we met! But now it's a high‑stakes, crucial game for both sides. Facing them at the Etihad when everything is on the line for them? It doesn't get more intense than that."

• Asked whether he remains in touch with Pep Guardiola and his former team‑mates, having left the club in 2020, Sane continued: "Absolutely. I've never truly lost touch with some friends at the club. I'm looking forward to seeing some old friends again on Wednesday."

• Only Rodri, Phil Foden, Bernardo Silva and John Stones remain from Sane's final season in Manchester and he added: "It shows that at a club like City, evolution never stops. Legends like Kevin (De Bruyne) or Ilkay (Gundogan) moved on because sometimes you need a new horizon after winning it all. But make no mistake: at City, the pressure is constant. If you don't perform at the highest level every single week, the club is built to move forward — with or without you."

• Sane says City's title parades remain "etched in his memory" and reflected on the pride he felt in winning Premier League Young Player of the Year during the 2018 title‑winning season — a moment he says marked when he "truly arrived on the world stage".

• He described former manager Guardiola as "the definitive architect of modern football" and said the Spaniard "completely reprogrammed my footballing brain".

• Sane added: "Pep shows you a different sport entirely. His tactical demands are relentless, but he didn't just coach me — he evolved me. I left his guidance as a far more complete player than I ever thought possible".

• On his time in Istanbul, Sane said: "Istanbul is breathtaking. It's a city of immense energy and passion. The food culture alone is enough to make anyone admire this city. What is really incredible – the atmosphere at our home stadium especially during the Champions League games. The Super Lig is underrated in the rest of Europe. We've shown against top clubs like Liverpool and Atletico that we don't just participate - we can compete."

• Galatasaray need at least a point to progress in the Champions League as they are sat on 10 points in the 36-team league phase.

• The Germany international added: "In a 90‑minute fight, anything is possible. We know City are one of the favourites for the entire trophy — and also one of mine — but if we don't believe we can win, we might as well stay in Turkey. If we reach our best level that night, we can compete against anyone."

Nicola Pearson
BBC Sport journalist

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has been speaking to the media before Wednesday's Champions League game against Galatasaray at Etihad Stadium (kick-off 20:00 GMT).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• Guardiola confirmed they will assess Nico Gonzalez in Tuesday training to see whether he is available.

• He also said he "did not have dinner" with striker Erling Haaland so could not say whether he is ready for this match, but added "the team" are the reason for his lack of goals from open play as they need to "create more chances" for him. However, "never underestimate strikers as they will always make you silent".

• On his comments about Premier League debutant referee Farai Hallam: "They [officials] defend each other, completely understandable. They have to. But sometimes I have to defend my club. How many times did I criticise referees last season - the worst season in 10 years? Never. After [the defeat by Manchester] United, how were my comments about the referees? I was incredibly respectful in 10 years about referees. I never commented anything. When I do it, I have arguments to do it, that's the only reason why."

• He added: "Never in 10 years do I criticise. Why have I done it this season? Because of results and defending my club and players. I know it is not easy. Six minutes for a disallowed goal in the Carabao Cup, I had to tell him. We have to defend ourselves."

• With their current position just outside the top eight of the Champions League table, Guardiola said he would "prefer to have more points" but they have "what we deserve" and just need to focus on winning their game "and see where we finish".

• On former players Ilkay Gundogan and Leroy Sane returning with Galatasaray and the impact they had at City: "Not bad at all [impact during time at club]. Huge contribution. Grateful eternally for them. Incredibly lovely persons. Incredible team-mates. Happy to see them back tomorrow."

• Asked whether them being able to speak to their coach about Guardiola's tactics would be an advantage, he responded: "They should do it. I would do it. We know each other quite well. But, for sure, they don't exactly know what players will play tomorrow and the way we will attack tomorrow. Unless we have a spy to tell them, then they don't know."

Follow all of Tuesday's Champions League news conferences and the rest of the day's football news

Listen to full commentary of Man City v Galatasaray on Wednesday from 20:00 GMT on BBC Sounds

Freddie Pye
Fan writer

Image source, Getty Images

An opening. That's all it can take to often show Manchester City that there remains a chance of claiming the Premier League title when they find themselves in a head-to-head shoot-out during the second-half of a season.

Following City's winless start to the New Year and consecutive draws to Sunderland, Brighton, and Chelsea prior to a drab 2-0 defeat to Manchester United, many would have expected Arsenal to take full advantage and stretch their lead at the summit.

But despite all the talk surrounding the strength of Mikel Arteta's side, they have simply been unable, and perhaps not good enough, to do so. Despite a strong win over Bournemouth away from home to start the year, there have been back-to-back scoreless draws against Liverpool and Nottingham Forest, before their dramatic 3-2 defeat at home to Manchester United.

Could these be the ultimate signs to Manchester City that perhaps this Arsenal side is not so great? Pep Guardiola will not be fooled, and the Catalan will almost certainly continue to attack the business phase of the season with the same ferocity as he has done thus far, treating the Gunners as an immovable force until the very final whistle.

For City, the task remains simple: Keep on winning. They found the narrow edge against a struggling Wolves side themselves on Saturday, and while the performance was far from perfect, it was the three points that they so desperately needed from a mental perspective alone.

There is a glimmer of hope after the latest matchweek, and the gap at the top standing at just four points to Arsenal. It has hardly been the runaway showing that many expected from the North London club.

But much will be revealed about just how far Guardiola and his vastly rebuilt side can go this season in the next two Premier League matches alone, as they travel to Tottenham and Liverpool on consecutive weekends.

This is the time to step up and show their value.

Find more from Freddie Pye at City Xtra, external

Simon Stone
Manchester United reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Manchester United full-back Diogo Dalot says it was the right decision not to send him off in the Manchester derby.

City boss Pep Guardiola was fuming that Dalot was not shown a red card for his early foul on Jeremy Doku at Old Trafford.

Referee Anthony Taylor gave a yellow and that stance was backed up by VAR Craig Pawson, with PGMO chief Howard Webb saying the pair reached the right conclusion.

Predictably, Dalot thinks so too.

"I am really comfortable with what happened," the Portugal international told BBC Radio Five Live.

"In my opinion he took the right decision because there was no big intensity in the challenge.

"In football it can go both ways, and it is always about interpretation.

"I am not afraid of being aggressive or putting every mile onto the pitch. It is what I have been doing for this club for a long time.

"As long as I wear this shirt, I will not hide myself and I will not play the victim."

We asked for your thoughts after Saturday's Premier League game between Manchester City and Wolves.

Here are some of your comments:

Manchester City fans

Gene: Antoine Semenyo is a pleasure to watch - relentless and smart. Marc Guehi looked good and will help to solidify the shaky defence which has plagued this team for the past few years. More crosses into the box should result in more scoring opportunities instead of the constant cut backs. There still needs to be more attacking of the goal.

Brian: A decent days work but still far from perfect or firing on all cylinders. City need to up the gears to win the Premier League. Pep Guardiola needs to let players play in their normal creative and attacking way. The Pep model of play is now predictable. We are stronger in defence when we do not play such a high line up front.

Martin: A better performance, especially in the first half. Both scorers Omar Marmoush and Semenyo looked sharp. Wolves never troubled City and Guehi looked classy on his debut and nearly scored. A welcome three points, but City will have much sterner tests. Shoutout for Bernardo Silva who never stopped.

Youssef: Solid display by City to get back to winning ways. Really pleased with Guehi and Marmoush after his return from Afcon. Happy to see Pep giving Erling Haaland and Phil Foden a rest too.

Wolves fans

Joel: A decent performance against a City team who were always going to rebound after their last two results. However, with the 'fastest' player in the Premier League in Jackson Tchatchoua, why aren't we playing balls over a high line?

Richard: I know we were playing Manchester City, but you can't sit back and soak up the pressure because you will get punished like they did. I'd rather they took the game to City, even if the score line had been different, but we were toothless. We can't create and can't score so I do worry what will become of us in the Championship.

Mel: Very surprised at the team selection leaving Tolu Arokodare on the bench and then Jorgen Strand Larsen coming on as substitute before him? Wolves don't just lie down theses days, they show plenty of fight. Whilst we are going to be relegated this season, I believe that if we can hang on to the nucleus of the team, then we will have a very strong season that will ultimately mean an instant return!

Simon: Toothless first half. Second half subs made an impact but the damage was already done. We are going into too many matches with the wrong line-up. Rob Edwards should have got this system nailed down by now. They showed City and Pep Guardiola too much respect with no recognised striker starting.

Manchester City are actively keeping tabs on England right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold as uncertainty continues to grow over the 27-year-old's future at Real Madrid. (Teamtalk), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Monday's full gossip column

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Pundits Alan Shearer and Ashley Williams join host Mark Chapman to bring you the action and talking points from Saturday's Premier League fixtures.

Watch on BBC iPlayer here

And listen back to full match commentaries on BBC Sounds:

• Manchester City 2-0 Wolves

• Burnley 2-2 Tottenham

• Bournemouth 3-2 Liverpool

Brendon Mitchell
BBC Sport Senior Journalist

Making your Premier League debut at Manchester City would be a daunting prospect for anyone - even as a referee.

But 32-year-old Farai Hallam, once a professional footballer on Stevenage's books, earned widespread praise for his performance during City's 2-0 win over Wolves at Etihad Stadium on Saturday.

With the hosts leading 1-0 in the first half, goalscorer Omar Marmoush was convinced the hosts should be awarded a penalty after Wanderers defender Yerson Mosquera appeared to handle the ball inside the area.

Hallam was unmoved, waving appeals away, only to then be sent to the pitchside monitor by the video assistant referee (VAR) to check the incident.

We all know what that normally means. The City fans were already celebrating.

After watching several replays, however, Hallam surprised nearly everyone inside the stadium by choosing to stick with his original decision.

"After review, the ball hits the arm of the Wolves player, which is in a natural position so the on-field decision will remain," he announced over the tannoy.

Former Premier League assistant referee Darren Cann said it was "without doubt the correct decision".

"Hallam, officiating in his first Premier League match, made an excellent and courageous call to stick with his on-field decision of no handball," Cann told BBC Sport.

"This was without doubt the correct decision as Yerson Mosquera's arm was in a justifiable position and the ball was played on to his arm from very close range.

"A brave and correct decision in law from a highly regarded referee making his Premier League debut."

Find more punditry reaction here

Shamoon Hafez
Football reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Manchester City were outplayed by Manchester United last Saturday and suffered a monumental Champions League shock at Bodo/Glimt during the week, but there was an air of inevitability about this result from the first whistle.

For at least a day, City have cut the deficit to leaders Arsenal to four points and will be hoping for a favour from rivals United when Michael Carrick's side head to Emirates Stadium on Sunday (16:30 GMT).

The home side had drawn three and lost their other league game this year but were on top from the off on Saturday - Omar Marmoush repaying boss Pep Guardiola's faith by scoring after starting his first league game since August in place of Erling Haaland.

Antoine Semenyo netted his third goal for City since signing from Bournemouth two weeks ago, showing how effective he can be by cutting in from the right - his 11th goal in his past 17 home games was calmly taken and gave his side some breathing room.

Centre-back Guehi joined from Crystal Palace and provided much-needed assurance in the heart of the defence, displaying his experience and calmness to help City to a clean sheet on his first start.

The result means City have now won 11 of their past 12 league games against Wolves and are unbeaten in their past 31 matches against sides starting the day bottom of the table - a run stretching back to the early days of the Abu Dhabi ownership in 2008.

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola, speaking to BBC Match of the Day after his side's victory against Wolves: "We won against a team who were unbeaten in the last four or five games so pretty pleased."

On Omar Marmoush: "People have a question of numbers. Assists, goals, assists, goals, assists, goals so I'm happy with Omar for his energy. We did it."

On Marc Guehi making his debut for the club: "The captain of Crystal Palace has to be something special. Really pleased for him. He is so demanding for ourselves to do better. Good players adapt quick and understand the game so that's why."

City defender Marc Guehi also spoke to BBC Match of the Day: "It was OK from my part, I have got a lot of learning to do to get up to speed. There's a lot of details and positioning and certain things but it has been really exciting.

"There's a good mentality about the group, important that the focus is on the next game, making sure we get the win. We need the mentality and the intensity within the side and hopefully we will keep that going."

Did you know?

• Since he joined the club in the summer of 2022, Manchester City have won 18 of their 22 Premier League games in which Erling Haaland has not started (D2 L2), a ratio of 82%, compared to a 63% win rate with him starting in the competition (73/115).

Listen to Guardiola on BBC Sounds

Whether you were at the game or following from elsewhere, we want to know what you learned.

Have your say on Manchester City's performance

What did you make of Wolves' display?

Come back on Monday for a selection of your replies

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has sprung two major surprises by naming star striker Erling Haaland and midfielder Phil Foden as substitutes for this afternoon's meeting against bottom side Wolves.

Omar Marmoush plays up front, while Antoine Semenyo returns to the side after being cup tied for the shock Champions League loss at Bodo/Glimt on Tuesday.

There are five changes in all from that game as Marc Guehi gets a debut in central defence, in place of Max Alleyne, while Matheus Nunes returns to the side after recovering from flu.

Rayan Ait-Nouri and Rico Lewis are the other players to drop to the bench.

Man City XI: Donnarumma, Matheus Luiz, Khusanov, Guehi, O'Reilly, Rodri, Semenyo, Reijnders, Silva, Cherki, Marmoush.

Subs: Trafford, Ake, Haaland, Doku, Ait Nouri, Foden, Mukasa, Alleyne, Lewis.

Wolves make just one from the side that drew 0-0 against Newcastle last time out.

Jhon Arias comes in for Tolu Arokodare with, what looks like, a false nine formation.

Wolves XI: Jose Sa, Mosquera, Santiago Bueno, Krejci, Tchatchoua, Joao Gomes, Andre Trindade, Mane, Hugo Bueno, Arias, Hwang.

Subs: Johnstone, Doherty, Wolfe, Larsen, Agbadou, Arokodare, Pedro Lima, Rodrigo Gomes, Lopez.

There are five games in the Premier League on Saturday and BBC Sport will bring you every moment.

• West Ham v Sunderland (12:30)

• Burnley v Tottenham - listen on BBC Radio 5 Live

• Fulham v Brighton

• Man City v Wolves - listen on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra

• Bournemouth v Liverpool (17:30) - listen on BBC Radio 5 Live

Kick-off times 15:00 GMT unless stated

Follow all of the action and reaction here

You can also listen to today's 5 Live Premier League commentaries on most smart speakers. Just say "ask BBC Sounds to play Manchester City v Wolves" or "ask BBC Sounds to play Bournemouth v Liverpool", for instance.

Find out more about how to listen to Premier League football on BBC Sounds

Erling Haaland has not scored in open play in any of Manchester City's past eight games - only finding the net with a penalty against Brighton.

But his poor form is not City's only problem. They froze in the Arctic Circle on Tuesday - I was at that game for 5 Live and Bodo/Glimt thoroughly deserved their win.

It was a terrible result for City because now they are out of the top eight in the Champions League and, with a squad ravaged by injury, they are facing the prospect of two extra games in the play-offs.

Still, new signing Marc Guehi can play in this game to bring some stability to their backline and Antoine Semenyo will be back to add some spark to their attack too.

And, while Wolves have been rejuvenated recently and are four games unbeaten in the league, I feel like there will be some anger in City's performance after such a disappointing week.

Sutton's prediction: 3-1

Read the full predictions and have your say here

You can listen to full commentary of Man City v Wolves on BBC Radio Sports Extra

Matthew Hobbs
BBC Sport journalist

Manchester City aim to bounce back from two defeats in the past week against a Wolves side improving under head coach Rob Edwards.

BBC Sport examines some of the key themes ahead of Saturday's meeting at Etihad Stadium.

City in need of a win

Manchester City's response to their chastening defeat against city rivals Manchester United last weekend was just about as bad as it gets.

The shock 3-1 defeat in freezing conditions on the north-east coast of Norway by Champions League debutants Bodo/Glimt was a maiden win against an English side and one of the biggest upsets in the competition's history.

There was mitigation in the sense that City boss Pep Guardiola made four changes and selected a starting 11 with an average age of 24 years and 84 days – the youngest fielded by City in a Champions League match – although the nature of the loss still compelled City's players to donate £10,000 to cover the ticket costs of the club's 374 travelling supporters.

Following defeat in the Arctic Circle, Guardiola said his squad must shake off any negativity following a run of two wins in seven matches in all competitions since the start of the calendar year although central to any shift towards positive thinking may be the return to form of striker Erling Haaland.

The 25-year-old has failed to score from open play in his past eight matches in all competitions, with his only goal during this run coming via the penalty spot in the 1-1 draw with Brighton earlier this month.

It is Haaland's longest run without scoring a goal from open play in any competition of while playing for a side in a major European league.

The stalemate with the Seagulls followed a 1-1 home draw with Chelsea in which City also let a one-goal lead slip. They've not drawn three in a row at the Etihad in the Premier League since December 2023, when Guardiola's side also led against Liverpool, Tottenham and Crystal Palace before failing to take three points.

Wolves improving under Edwards

City next face a Wolves side enjoying a mini-revival under head coach Rob Edwards.

The Midlands club are unbeaten in four Premier League fixtures, earning six points, which is twice as many as they managed in their previous 22 top-flight matches going back to last season.

An improvement in performances has been underpinned by a new-found consistency in approach. Edwards understandably experimented with tactics and personnel during his first seven games at the helm, utilising four different formations – all variations of a back three/five – and averaging three changes to his starting line-up per game.

However, the 2-1 defeat by Liverpool on 27 September proved to be a turning point.

Wolves made four changes for the trip to Anfield, crucially giving teenage forward Mateus Mane a first Premier League start, and selection since has settled down.

In the following four matches in which Wolves have beaten West Ham United and drawn with Everton, Newcastle and Manchester United, they have started in a 3-5-2 formation and made just four changes in total.

Edwards' side remain 14 points adrift of safety, but recent evidence suggests that they can make life more uncomfortable for Manchester City at the Etihad on Saturday afternoon than may have previously been the case earlier this season.