Manchester City should be looking to make it six points from six in Group G of the Club World Cup when they take on Al Ain in Atlanta on Sunday evening. Pep Guardiola’s side hardly set the world alight in their opener, first-half goals from Phil Foden and Jeremy Doku enough to earn a win over Wydad AC in an opener where they were reduced to 10 men after a red card for Rico Lewis. Given that the likes of Erling Haaland, Josko Gvardiol and new club captain Bernardo Silva were not required to start in Philadelphia, the result was more than adequate for City, who will surely be looking to reach their final group stage game against Juventus with as minimal exertion as possible.
The evidence of their opener suggests Al-Ain will not pose much resistance to City. The Qataris had goals rained down on them in abundance by Juventus, four coming in the first half of a 5-0 win for La Vecchia Signora that served as a cruel reminder of what can realistically be expected when the fifth-best side in the UAE Pro League runs into a European giant. The fear for Al-Ain is that it could be even more brutal against City on Sunday evening.
Viewing information
- Date: Sunday, June 22 | Time: 9 p.m. ET
- Location: Mercedes-Benz Stadium — Atlanta, GA
- Live stream: Watch on DAZN (for free)
- Odds: Manchester City -1200; Draw +1000; Al-Ain +3500
Last meeting
This will be the first competitive meeting between the two teams.
Predicted lineups
Manchester City: Ederson; Matheus Nunes, Manuel Akanji, Ruben Dias, Rayan Ait-Nouri; Tijani Reijnders; Rayan Cherki, Phil Foden, Ilkay Gundogan, Jeremy Doku; Erling Haaland
Al-Ain: Rui Patricio; Abdul Karim Traore, Marcel Ratnik, Rami Rabia, Amadou Niang, Facundo Zabala; Kaku, Yong-Woo Park, Matias Palacios; Kodjo Laba, Nassim Chadli
Player to watch
Phil Foden, Manchester City: Was one goal against Wydad Casablanca enough to signal a fresh start for Foden, the 2024 player of the year who followed that up in such disastrous fashion last season? The England international would tell you it was. “[Getting the win] is really important for our confidence,” he said on Wednesday. “Last season wasn’t the best for me, so I’m happy today that I managed to score, get an assist, and help the team win.” Another goal against Al-Ain would hardly be a guarantee of Premier League success in 2025-26 but it would give Foden a welcome mental boost.
Storyline to watch
How much does Guardiola rotate? City departed for the US with Thomas Tuchel’s words perhaps ringing in their ears. The England boss had said Liverpool and Arsenal would get a “huge” advantage in the title race from not having to play in the title race, reasoning that City and Chelsea players would be drained from their exertions at the Club World Cup. That will surely be true but is there anything Guardiola can do to mitigate that? Expect plenty of rotation, particularly for these more favorable fixtures.
Prediction
Whatever side City do end up naming, it will surely be a matter of how many City score. PICK: Man City 4, Al-Ain 0
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