An In-Depth Preview of Manchester City’s Upcoming Showdown with Al Ain in the Club World Cup

It has been a little over 11 years since Manchester City faced Al Ain, with their last encounter occurring in a friendly match in May 2014.

On that day, Manuel Pellegrini’s City squad secured a comfortable 3-0 victory, thanks to goals from Rony Lopes, Stefan Jovetic, and Jordy Hiwula, all scored within 26 minutes in the second half.

Pep Guardiola will undoubtedly be hoping for a repeat performance as City aims for a place in the knockout stages of this summer’s Club World Cup. So far, Guardiola’s record in the CWC, across its various formats, stands impressive at 27 goals scored with just two conceded.

In their opening match against Wydad Casablanca, City secured a straightforward 2-0 victory at Lincoln Financial Field—marking Pep’s ninth consecutive win in Club World Cup history. In contrast, Al Ain endured a crushing 5-0 defeat against Juventus at Audi Field, which ranks as the joint-third largest defeat in CWC history.

Following Bayern’s record-setting 10-0 thrashing of Auckland City and Benfica’s 6-0 demolition of the same team, Al Ain’s five-goal loss matches a previous 6-1 defeat recorded by Al Jazira against Al Hilal in 2022.

Foden Could Miss Out Despite Strong Display

Phil Foden was particularly impressive in City’s opener; however, it’s uncertain whether the England international will retain his place in the starting lineup for the second match in Group G, with this seeming highly unlikely.

“We need to give many players game time; if they return from long injuries without playing, they won’t regain their rhythm,” Guardiola informed reporters following the match.

“In the next game, we will see 10 new players to aim for victory.”

This fixture marks the first time an English club will compete against an UAE side in a competitive match. Rico Lewis will be unavailable due to the red card received against Wydad, while Mateo Kovacic remained behind because of an Achilles injury. Both Kyle Walker and Jack Grealish also stayed at home.

Debut Anticipated for Rayan Ait-Nouri, Rodri Set to Return

There’s a good chance that Rayan Ait-Nouri will make his long-anticipated debut for the club, and fans of City will be pleased to learn that Rodri is also expected to return from his long-term injury.

Manchester City’s current form favours them greatly, having only lost 1-0 to Crystal Palace in the FA Cup final aside from their opener in the CWC. The team has also drawn with Southampton (0-0) and secured victories over Fulham (2-0), Bournemouth (3-1), and Wolves (1-0) in recent fixtures.

Conversely, Al Ain did manage a 6-2 win over Auckland City during the Intercontinental Cup qualifiers, though they suffered a 3-0 defeat to Al Ahly in the quarter-finals of the same tournament.

Wydad Managed to Shoot 12 Times Against Guardiola’s Side

If Pep Guardiola is critical of any aspect of his team against Al Ain, it will likely be their defensive performance.

Even though Wydad did not find the net, they still managed to register 12 shots on goal, just three less than City’s 15. On another day, if one of those shots had gone in, City could have been made to work harder for their victory.

With only four interceptions made in that match, there might be concern about the defensive side, despite City typically being less associated with physical play.

When a team posts pass completion percentages of 90% or higher across the board, they can often overlook other deficiencies that may not significantly impact the game.

After Foden scored in the opening moments, it became evident that it would be a challenging night for Wydad, yet they held their own throughout.

Peps’ relentless pursuit of perfection ensures that he won’t let up, presenting a stern challenge for Al Ain if they encounter City on one of those days where everything seemingly goes right.

However, Al Ain can draw some motivation from Thembinkosi Lorch, who had seven touches in the City box against Wydad, indicating that if players like Alejandro Romero and Soufiane Rahimi can push forward and find their scoring touch, they might cause City some problems.

Al Ain Must Show More Than Just Physicality Against City

Rahimi’s four touches in the Juventus penalty area during their recent match represented the highest tally for an Al Ain player, a statistic that highlights the need for improvement as their defensive efforts will also require enhancement.

Juventus attacked with ease, managing to keep the UAE side at bay without much resistance. Despite managing five shots on target, Al Ain should have done better in front of goal.

Juve dominated possession (63.4%), a statistic that should please Manchester City; nevertheless, Al Ain were still outmatched in midfield, with Facundo Zabala engaged in 18 one-on-one duels—the highest of any player on the pitch.

Zabala also attempted the most tackles during the game with six, showing reasonable resistance in what turned into a relentless attack from Juventus.

The Al Ain squad knows that City remains overwhelming favourites, but they cannot afford to be complacent, especially with multiple personnel changes anticipated.

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