Mick McCarthy is concerned that fatigue could handicap Wolves’ hopes of upsetting big-spending visitors Manchester City tonight (7.45pm).

The Molineux boss believes that because his side played with just 10 men for much of the second half on Boxing Day when they lost 2-0 at Liverpool, they will find it tough against Roberto Mancini’s outfit.

So McCarthy plans to shuffle his pack for a crucial Barclays Premier League match, with Wolves desperate to pull away from the relegation zone against a City outfit themselves aiming for a top-four finish and Champions League qualification.

The hosts will definitely be without defender Stephen Ward, who is serving a suspension for being red-carded at Anfield. And McCarthy insists he needs to assess the rest of his squad following the extra physical demands of Saturday’s defeat.

He said: “We played well at Anfield, I am proud of them. Liverpool did not make many chances but with 10 men the game is finished. There will be some tired legs now as we prepare to face Manchester City.

“Ten men against Liverpool at Anfield means a lot more effort from everybody.

“Matt Jarvis was running on empty and Kevin Foley was too, they all put more than a shift in.

“I will have to look at them all to see who can play against City. But I wonder whether we can produce that level of performance again so soon after the Liverpool game.

“To recover from that, playing with 10 men, is very difficult. We just have to try to do our best now.

“Manchester City played on Saturday, they will be tired too.

“But they have a slightly bigger squad than I have. I will assess them all before making any decisions.”

Wolves will also still be without Michael Kightly, David Edwards and Andy Keogh, who are out with ankle injuries.

The defeat at Anfield, with goals from Steven Gerrard and Yossi Benayoun only coming after Ward’s dismissal, still gave McCarthy plenty to be pleased about.

He said: “The performance was fine, the lads did their jobs and to lose like that was hugely frustrating.”

By Paul Walker