This Group G encounter of the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup will be played between the 2023 FIFA Club World Cup winners Manchester City and the 2024 AFC Champions League winners Al Ain FC on June 23 at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta.
Here’s our preview and prediction for the game.
Pep Guardiola’s men enjoyed a largely stress-free opening encounter with a comfortable 2-0 victory over Moroccan powerhouse Wydad AC, while their Middle Eastern counterparts Al Ain were ruthlessly pulled apart by a merciless Juventus. Pep and Man City can now secure their ticket to the knockout rounds with a game to spare as they battle United Arab Emirates’ Al Ain FC at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.
Despite his massive downfall in form over the last 12 months – especially domestically – the former PFA Player Of The Year winner Phil Foden was the chief architect of Manchester City’s victory over Wydad AC in the first round of fixtures. His smart left-footed strike propelled the Sky Blues into an early advantage, before the England international turned provider for Jeremy Doku to fire home from a corner towards the end of the first half.
The only blemish was a late red card to Rico Lewis for catching Samuel Obeng with a boot to the face after both men contested a 50-50 on the floor – an outcome that left Guardiola seething – but that was a minor hiccup on an otherwise comfortable afternoon’s work for the Citizens.
Victory over Al-Ain this weekend will therefore guarantee City’s spot in the next phase owing to their superior head-to-head record against Wydad, but thanks to Juventus’ five-star thrashing of their upcoming opponents, they are currently sitting in second place.
However, with Real Madrid failing to secure a victory in their opening CWC fixture, there is a real possibility that the winners of Group G could face Los Blancos in the first knockout tie, meaning that second may very well be the best for Guardiola and co here.
Their counterparts, the 14-time UAE champions were on the end of a 5-0 battering against Italian Serie A side Juventus. I Bianconeri’s five-goal rout was complete by the hour mark as Randal Kolo Muani and Francisco Conceicao both helped themselves to braces, while Turkish talent Kenan Yildiz scored the pick of the bunch with a sumptuous long-range strike in off the post.
Currently in fourth place and a long way off the other three in terms of quality, Vladimir Ivic’s side must pull off a miracle against Man City to stand any chance of a shock top-two finish, an improbable scenario for even the most ardent fan of the two-time AFC Champions League winners.
Al-Ain, however, have previously pulled off surprises at the Club World Cup, though, stunning River Plate en route to the final of the 2018 edition, where they were eventually beaten by then-European champions Real Madrid.
However, having lost their recent seven-match unbeaten streak – during which they kept six clean sheets – in such chastening fashion last time out, the 2024 AFC Champions League winners are now facing the steepest of hills in order to progress into the knockout rounds.
Looking ahead to this fixture, even with a much-changed starting XI and one eye on Juventus and potentially Real Madrid in the knockouts, Guardiola’s men should get the job done with minimal fuss.
Score Prediction: FC Manchester City 3-0 Al Ain FC
Venue: Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta
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