Match preview for Manchester City v Al Ain
Manchester City will look to secure their place in the Club World Cup knockout stages when they take on UAE champions Al Ain at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta on Sunday.
Pep Guardiola’s men were rarely troubled in their opening Group G fixture, easing past Wydad AC 2-0, while Al Ain were on the receiving end of a ruthless Juventus performance, slumping to a 5-0 loss.
Phil Foden set the tone for City with a fine early finish before turning provider for Jeremy Doku to double the lead before half-time. A late red card for Rico Lewis offered the only blemish in an otherwise dominant outing for the Premier League champions.
City currently sit second in the group due to goal difference but will confirm their place in the next round with a victory over Al Ain.
Depending on other results, finishing second might even provide a slightly more favourable path through the knockout stages, with Real Madrid potentially lying in wait for the Group G winners.
Al Ain, meanwhile, must pull off a major upset to keep their slim qualification hopes alive. Vladimir Ivic’s men were outclassed by Juventus in Washington, with braces from Randal Kolo Muani and Francisco Conceicao, plus a stunning Kenan Yildiz strike.
While Al Ain do have Club World Cup pedigree, famously defeating River Plate in 2018 on their way to the final, repeating such heroics against Guardiola’s side would be an even greater achievement.
Team news for Manchester City v Al Ain
Manchester City will be without Rico Lewis following his straight red card against Wydad. The youngster was dismissed after catching Samuel Obeng in the face during a ground challenge, despite protests from City players.
His absence opens the door for Matheus Nunes to slot into an unfamiliar right-back role, while Abdukodir Khusanov or John Stones could also be considered.
With qualification in sight and tougher tests ahead, Guardiola may opt to rotate, possibly handing a debut to new signing Rayan Ait-Nouri at left-back.
Al Ain have no fresh injury or suspension concerns heading into their second match.
Expected line-ups for Manchester City v Al Ain
Manchester City: Ortega; Nunes, Khusanov, Gvardiol, Ait-Nouri; Gonzalez, Gundogan; Bobb, Echeverri, Foden; Haaland
Al Ain: Patricio; Traore, Ratnik, Rabia, Cardoso, Zabala; Kaku, Nader; Park; Chadli, Laba
How to watch Manchester City v Al Ain: TV channel, online stream
Manchester City v Al Ain will kick-off at 02:00am on Monday morning in the UK, with fans able to watch the game either on Channel 5 or through DAZN.
The stats for Manchester City v Al Ain
Manchester City have won four of their last five matches across all competitionsAl Ain were unbeaten in seven before their 5-0 loss to JuventusAl Ain reached the Club World Cup final in 2018 but have never beaten European oppositionCity have scored 14 goals in their last five matches across all competitions
Prediction
Al Ain may look to absorb pressure and frustrate Manchester City, but their defensive resilience is likely to crack under the pressure.
Even with Guardiola expected to rotate, the depth in City’s squad should comfortably see them through to the knockout stages.
Prediction: Manchester City 4-0 Al Ain
