With the conclusion of the Group stage of the Club World Cup, the knockout rounds beckon with some mouth-watering ties. One such encounter will be played between English giants Manchester City and Saudi Pro league club Al-Hilal Saudi FC on July 1st at the Camping World Stadium in Orlando.
Here’s our Preview and Prediction for the Round of 16 match between Manchester City and Al-Hilal at the FIFA Club World Cup 2025
Manchester City came into the Club World Cup after a dismal season that ended trophyless for them. However, with a few new quality additions to the squad, they have been rampant, winning all three group stage games. First, they defeated Wydad Casablanca 2-0, then annihilated Al Ain 6-0 and then decimated Juventus 5-2 in the final fixture to top the group with nine points.
The likes of Jeremy Doku, Erling Haaland and Phil Foden are in a rich vein of form with their defensive line of Ruben Dias, Manuel Akanji, Joško Gvardiol and new signing Rayan Ait-Nouri looking solid too, having conceded only two goals in three games. The other new signings Ryan Cherki and Tijjani Reijnders have hit the ground running.
As for Al-Hilal, they performed well under their new manager Simone Inzaghi in a tough group. They played above expectations to secure a 1-1 draw against Real Madrid and then drew against RB Salzburg in the second group game before securing a win against the 2024 CONCACAF Champions Cup winners Pachuca to qualify for the Round of 16.
Al-Hilal also boasts of a mix of talented players who have played in Europe. Former City full-back João Cancelo, former Chelsea defender Kalidou Koulibaly and former Wolves midfielder Rúben Neves are some of the names Premier League fans would certainly know. Renan Lodi, Sergej Milinkovi?-Savi?, Salem Aldawsari and Marcos Leonardo are important players in their first team.
Coming to this contest, Manchester City has never played against Al-Hilal before, this would be their first competitive meeting. If we look at the two teams, the Cityzens are definitely the much superior squad and under manager Pep Guardiola they will be a very formidable team to beat. However, Inzaghi’s Al-Hilal play flexible football as well as they did against Real Madrid and are very solid at the back too. It’s going to be an intriguing contest between two highly competitive sides. However, we think that City is just too strong to lose this one.
Score Prediction: Manchester City FC 3-1 Al-Hilal Saudi FC
Venue: Camping World Stadium, Orlando, Florida
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