Overview
Manchester City could qualify directly for the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup if they beat Al Ain at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
Coach Pep Guardiola's team easily won 2-0 against Wydad AC club of Morocco in the first round. Phil Foden and Jeremy Doku scored for Man City, while Rico Lewis' late red card had little impact.
In contrast, Al Ain were crushed 5-0 by Juventus. Therefore, if City wins this weekend, they will continue because they have a 6-point advantage over their opponents and are certainly above Wydad thanks to their better head-to-head record.
This match will be the first official meeting between English and UAE clubs. Notably, the owner of The Citizens - Sheikh Mansour - is also from the UAE.
Considering Al Ain's poor start, few people expect their fortunes to improve against City. The former Premier League champions have won all three previous FIFA Club World Cup matches, including in the old format.
Guardiola's record in the history of this tournament is even more impressive. The Spaniard has won all nine of his coaching positions at the FIFA Club World Cup.
Al Ain's 0-5 loss to Juventus was the second biggest goal difference defeat in FIFA Club World Cup history, equal to the 5-goal loss suffered by their hometown team, Al Jazira, to Al-Hilal in 2022 (1-6).
With Lewis suspended for this match, Guardiola could disrupt his defensive options. Rayan AIt-Nouri, who has just signed for the club in a £38 million deal, is likely to make his City debut.
One player who just debuted for Man City in the opening match is Tijjani Reijnders. The Dutch midfielder has made some sharp passes with his trademark, breaking the opponent's midfield more times than any other player (8 times).
Predicting the result
According to the Opta supercomputer, it is no surprise that Man City are expected to win this match.
The Premier League side have a 91.7% chance of winning their second consecutive match. In contrast, Al Ain have only a 2.4% chance of creating a surprise.
After the opening win, Man City have a 99.3% chance of moving on. However, whether they will top the group (64.1%) or rank second (35.5%) is still open.
Score prediction: Man City 3-0 Al Ain
The match between Man City and Al Ain takes place at 8:00 a.m. on June 23 (Vietnam time).
