Wolves are the lowest scorers in the Premier League this season, netting just 12 goals in their 19 games so far.

However, they're averaging a goal a game under Julen Lopetegui (4 in 4), compared to 0.5 per game before his arrival this season (8 in 15).

Wolves have also won two of their four Premier League games under Julen Lopetegui (D1 L1), as many as they had won in their previous 22 before his arrival (D6 L14). They're looking to win back-to-back league matches for the first time since March last season.

Since their return to the Premier League in 2018, Wolves have received more red cards against Manchester City than they have against any other opponent in the competition (3), accounting for 33% of their total reds in that time (3/9).

Nathan Collins was dismissed in the reverse fixture at Molineux this season.

For the latest round of Premier League predictions, Chris Sutton is up against The Courteeners frontman Liam Fray.

Image source, BBC Sport

Sutton's prediction: 2-0

People are looking for things that are wrong with City at the moment but they have still had a very good start to the season in terms of points.

According to some reports I've read, Erling Haaland is the problem - which is just ridiculous. I looked into where their goals have come from in the past couple of seasons and of course they were spread around more, but his scoring record is amazing.

According to some people, we are at the stage where he shouldn't play, which is a ridiculous call to make.

Wolves will be awkward opponents but I still don't think they score enough goals, and I don't see City slipping up again.

Liam's prediction: 3-0

Find out how Sutton and Liam think the rest of the games will go and cast your vote here

Nedum Onuoha
Former Manchester City defender on BBC 5 Live

Pep recognises that his City side are not playing anywhere near their best at this moment in time. There is a team who is shining throughout the entire season in Arsenal. It's not just the points, it's the nature of the performances. They have got so many people playing so so well.

If they win today, they are in theory on track for 100 points which is wild. For him, you can see that his players are down which is strange given the fact that they are in second and they are supposed to be chasing something.

This feels like a different challenge to them. They are used to having the adversary in Liverpool but now this younger Arsenal side feels a little bit different. We don't historically know of a rivalry between the two but there is one here now if they want to win a Premier League title so it is different.

The fact that Pep said it, I think that's fair. If I was an Arsenal player now, your desire is going to be different to Man City. For most of those guys, they've never won it before. Even though they would probably trade to have the experience to know who to win it, for them every game will feel like a must win game whereas for a team that's won it before, they will probably know the nuance of it all.

Simon Stone
BBC Sport at the Etihad Stadium

It has not been the easiest season for Pep Guardiola and Manchester City.

The Blues have a chance to close the gap on Arsenal to two points - having played two games more - for a couple of hours at least if they beat Wolves today.

But it seems Guardiola is trying to inject a spark into his players after four Premier League titles in five seasons.

"I won four leagues in Spain when I was a player, in the fifth I was not the same, in the sixth I was not the same, I was not starving enough," he said.

"I couldn't be bothered. Madrid beat me the fifth and the sixth.

"I’m here to do it (turn the situation around). The chairman knows I want to be here, otherwise I don’t extend (my contract)."

Rachel Corsie
Scotland and Aston Villa defender on BBC Radio 5 Live

I think it's Pep being a little bit smart and trying to take the conversation away from his current players and almost deflect. It's pushing back and trying to test the waters of the Arsenal club, fans included.

It was also a nibble at his own fans and it is him trying to spark that fire that he knows will ultimately, hopefully, lead to his players coming in to form.

The fact you won it last year makes no difference. His players still want it and they are just suffering a little bit and he is trying to push that away.

Mike Taylor
BBC WM

Image source, BBC Sport

“It’s not about deserving, it’s about scoring goals. We scored three at Anfield,” said Julen Lopetegui drily after Wolves exited the FA Cup.

In fairness, he did not labour on about the decisions in the first game. “We started well, but after the goal, we have been out of the match for 20 minutes… maybe it’s my fault,” he said.

Perhaps he was referring to the tactical dance of the first half. After falling behind, Wolves switched from two defenders to three, and then back again after the change surrendered territory to Liverpool’s hungry midfield. Rayan Ait-Nouri had to abandon his attacking instincts and quickly turn a back three into to a back-five.

They looked happier in the second half when there was room for Nelson Semedo and Ait-Nouri to get involved, Matheus Nunes added momentum and Ruben Neves steered the ball as if with a joystick. Further forward, Raul Jimenez looks sharper than before the World Cup, substitute Matheus Cunha was again nimble and imaginative while Diego Costa created a chance. Unfortunately, the finish was never quite there.

Wolves have improved since Lopetegui took charge. They are nobody’s pushover and the club is spending to improve with the latest addition Pablo Sarabia confirmed. The mood is lighter, especially after they moved out of the bottom three for the first time in months.

But there is a gnawing doubt. The 1-0 win over West Ham felt more comprehensive than the scoreline suggests, which is precisely the problem. A single goal felt an enormous effort, and just 12 goals so far is inadequate. However attractive their play, Wolves will surely be relegated if they cannot better that number in the 19 remaining games.

“They have lots of forwards,” a colleague said to me last week getting to the heart of the problem... “but where is the striker?”

Image source, Getty Images

Julen Lopetegui says it is important that new signing Pablo Sarabia "adapts very quickly" to the pace of the Premier League.

"He’s a player that I’ve known a long time. He’s here to help us to get our aims and we are happy that he is here," said Lopetegui.

"He’s never played in England before, so it’s important that he has to adapt very quickly, but he’s an experienced player and he’s going to help us, undoubtedly.

"The conversation was that he wanted to play in the Premier League, he wanted to play here and we wanted him to come here. We all agreed and now we are going to work very hard to get his dream, and our dream, which is to achieve our main aim of being out of the relegation zone at the end of the season.

"He can play in different positions; as a winger, as a number 10, but above all, he’s a good player and the good players can adapt in every situation."

Sarabia was part of Spain’s squad at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar and made one substitute appearance against Morocco.

He added: "What’s most important is that he is able to make good decisions, be able to play well and to work hard with the ball.

“He’s an experienced player who can help us, of course he has to adapt to England and the rhythm of the game, of course he can adapt to the quality of the game, but it’s the rhythm of the matches which is important."

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Journalist Luke Edwards says Wolves' signing of Craig Dawson is solid, if not overly exciting.

Wolves have agreed a £3.3m deal for the 32-year-old English defender.

The Telegraph's Edwards told the Transfer Gossip Daily podcast: "Not all transfers are sexy, not all transfers are glamorous, not all transfers are exciting.

"It's important in the January transfer window that every now and again you just do a bit of solid business and if anyone represents solid business it's Craig Dawson.

"He's been very good for West Ham. I think he's been a big part of what they have achieved under David Moyes. He's reliable. He's the Volvo of English centre-backs.

"It's a solid signing. Wolves need to get out of relegation trouble, they let Conor Coady go to Everton which I think was probably a mistake in the Summer. This is probably them rectifying that mistake.

"It's a very January signing."

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Results at the bottom of the Premier League yesterday went reasonably well for Wolves, with teams around them dropping points. However, they did drop them back into the bottom three.

They travel to the Etihad today knowing a point will once again take them out of those awful spots that prop up the Premier League table.

Wolves have picked up just four points in eight Premier League visits to Manchester City, but they can draw on the fact that they have claimed a win their in recent seasons.

You may remember Adama Traore scoring twice in the last 10 minutes to seal a 2-0 win in October 2019.

Image source, Getty Images

Nedum Onuoha
Former Manchester City defender on BBC 5 Live

It shows how high the bar is because if Arsenal weren't set to go for 100 points, City would still be in the race. They are not underproving but there is another side who have been exceptional at this moment in time.

For me, when Pep mentioned all the stuff about desire, one thing that was key is that he was praising Arsenal for how well they have played this season.

He knows as he looks round his team and around his football club they don't have that right now but he knows it's still within them.

He's decided to almost make a stance halfway through the season to see if they can find that bit extra to get past Arsenal. They need to be near perfect because otherwise they'll just be languishing in second, third or fourth.

Simon Stone
BBC Sport at the Etihad Stadium

This could be viewed as buttering up opponents for a massive fall but I suspect there is genuine respect from Pep Guardiola for Julen Lopetegui.

Guardiola certainly rates the new Wolves manager highly if his programme notes are anything to go by.

"Wolves should be congratulated for bringing him (Lopetegui) to the Premier League because he is a top coach whose career speaks for itself," he says.

"I am really looking forward to trying to figure out how to beat his team because it is always a difficult challenge."

Chris Kamara is at Elland Road today and is currently addressing the crowd to talk about his "boyhood dreams coming true" when he played for the club back in the early 90s.

How good is it to be back? "Unbelievable!" is the response.

Kammy is, of course, now on the BBC, hosting a podcast with Ben Shepherd - Kammy and Ben's Proper Football Podcast - which you can find here.

Image source, Getty Images

Man City boss Pep Guardiola has won two of his three meetings with Wolves' Julen Lopetegui in all competitions (L1), with his Bayern Munich side beating Porto 6-1 in April 2015, and Man City beating Sevilla 4-0 in this season's UEFA Champions League.

Adam Pope
BBC West Yorkshire Sport

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Georginio Rutter does not feel the pressure of being Leeds' record signing and says he wants to "just get on with my football."

Leeds signed the 20-year-old on a deal that could rise to £36m and in his first appearance before the media he said his preferred position is up front and through the middle, though he feels comfortable playing wide.

The former Hoffenheim forward feels the quality of player he has seen in training points to Leeds meriting a higher position than 14th in the Premier League.

He even revealed he liked to use new team-mate Rodrigo up front in his Playstation side in a 4-4-2 formation.

Rutter is not "quite 100%" fit but "soon will be" and pointed to the role Jesse Marsch played in bringing him to Elland Road.

"He influenced me quite a large amount," said Rutter.

"We had a phone conversation. He was very convincing. It's clear he has a lot of confidence in youth. It was a very warm conversation.

"I want to repay the confidence the club have shown in me and give everything I have for the club.

"I could see the other night just how the fans really appreciate both Patrick (Bamford) and Rodrigo.

“I used to actually play on the PlayStation with Rodrigo in my team. He's particularly fast on the PlayStation. I play up front with him, 4-4-2, me and Rodrigo."

Georginio Rutter cannot be expected to be the player to fire Leeds to Premier League safety, despite his hefty price tag.

That's the view of the Don't Go To Bed Just Yet podcast panel after United shelled out a club record fee that could rise to £36m for the 20-year-old, with the side in need of goals to get them out of trouble.

Although Rutter is a huge talent, BBC Radio Leeds' Adam Pope feels they have bought potential.

"It's a risk and asking a lot for him to be the one to bang in the goals," said Pope. "You cannot expect him to come in and be the finished article.

"Look at the statistics. He's got two goals in 17 games and a couple of assists. Are we thinking he will come in and perform a miracle?"

Kaiser Chiefs bassist and Leeds fan Simon Rix agreed, speculating where Rutter will play for the Whites.

"He's surely not going to replace Rodrigo and Patrick Bamford has just come back," said Rix.

"Will he just come on to preserve Bamford, who is obviously that bit injury prone?"

Listen to the full podcast on BBC Sounds

Leeds' Patrick Bamford has scored (1) or assisted (1) a goal in each of his last two Premier League appearances, despite playing a total of just 61 minutes from the bench across these two games. No Leeds player has ever been involved in a goal in three consecutive Premier League substitute appearances before.

Bamford has suffered near constant injury problems for a year, but he appears to back and fit and enjoying his football again.

The striker scored a late equaliser as Leeds salvaged a 2-2 draw in this fixture last season.

Since the start of last season, Leeds have conceded more Premier League goals than any other side (112), while only Everton (54) have won fewer points than the Whites among the 17 ever-present sides (55).

Brentford have won their last three Premier League matches, last winning more consecutively as a top-flight club between February and March 1939 (5). Overall, the Bees are unbeaten in their last seven Premier League games (W4 D3), with only Newcastle (14) and Arsenal (12) currently on longer runs.

Only Leicester (17) have dropped more points from winning positions in the Premier League this season than Leeds (13). However, Brentford are one of four teams yet to win when conceding the first goal in the Premier League this season (D4 L4).

If the Bees score first, though, it is probably only going one way. They are unbeaten in all 20 of their Premier League matches in which they've opened the scoring (W16 D4). From the start of a Premier League career, only Manchester United have had a longer unbeaten record when scoring first, doing so in their first 176 such games in the competition between 1992 and 1999.