League leaders Manchester City will play Wolves for the second time in four days when the sides meet at Eastlands on Saturday.

Roberto Mancini’s City were at their brilliant best in a 5-2 win over Wolves at Molineux in their Carling Cup fixture on Wednesday.

In an ominous sign for Mick McCarthy’s Wolves, it was a ‘second-string’ City side on the park including goalkeeper Costel Pantilimon, young defender Stefan Savic and Ivory Coast midfielder Abdul Razak.

On the flipside, McCarthy can take positives from their ability to score twice against City, with Wolves not at their strongest for the fixture either, resting first-choice keeper Wayne Hennessey, only for back-up Dorus de Vries to concede five, including an own goal credited to himself.

Last time out at Etihad Stadium, Wolves produced three goals only to go down 4-3 in January this year, but Carlos Tevez will not be a problem for McCarthy this time around after the Argentine struck twice that day.

Tevez’s public spat with Mancini is likely to end his City career.

Mancini will also be without the services of midfielder Owen Hargreaves, but with a plethora of talent in the squad, the Italian will be hardly worried at fielding a strong team minus the injury-prone Englishman.

Wolves will need to repeat their dose of goals – and possibly more – should they want to pick up points on Saturday, as City have now scored 21 times in their past five.

Their hopes of netting, however, will be hampered by the absence of Steven Fletcher, but McCarthy said he is buoyed by the striker’s impending return to the training track from a calf injury.

Also unavailable for the Midlands club will be defender Kevin Foley, who is set to be out of action until Christmas with an ankle problem.