Manchester City Set to Clash with Al Ain: Complete Match Preview and Starting XI Predictions
Manchester City has the opportunity to secure their spot in the round of 16 of the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup as they prepare to take on Al Ain in their second group stage match.
Their advancement to the next round depends on what happens in the match between Juventus and Wydad Casablanca. Should the Italian club secure a win or draw, then Manchester City only needs to defeat Al Ain to guarantee their knockout stage qualification. If both Juventus and City emerge victorious, the two European teams will battle for first place in their final group match.
City dominated their opening match with a convincing 2-0 victory over Wydad AC, where Phil Foden rediscovered his 2023-24 season form by contributing a goal and an assist. They are expected to claim another win against Al Ain. The UAE representatives suffered a crushing defeat in their first match, falling 5-0 to Juventus as they were overwhelmed by the Serie A powerhouse. They face another challenging encounter in Atlanta.
Here's Sports Illustrated's preview of this Club World Cup encounter.
What Time Does Man City vs. Al Ain AC Kick-Off?
Man City vs. Al Ain Head-to-Head Record
This marks the first competitive encounter between Man City and Al Ain.
Current Form (All Competitions)
Man City | Al Ain |
|---|---|
Man City 2–0 Wydad Casablanca – 18/06/25 | Al Ain 0–5 Juventus – 19/06/25 |
Fulham 0–2 Man City – 25/05/25 | Al Nasr SC 0–2 Al Ain – 23/05/25 |
Man City 3–1 Bournemouth – 20/05/25 | Al Ain 0–0 Ajman – 19/05/25 |
Crystal Palace 1–0 Man City – 17/05/25 | Sharjah Cultural Club 0–3 Al Ain – 12/05/25 |
Southampton 0–0 Man City – 10/05/25 | Al Ain 1–1 Al Jazira – 04/05/25 |
How to Watch Man City vs. Al Ain on TV
Country | TV Channel / Live Stream |
|---|---|
United Kingdom | DAZN, Channel 5 |
United States | DAZN, Watch TNT, TNT USA, truTV USA |
Canada | DAZN |
Mexico | DAZN, tabii |
Man City Team News
The sole negative aspect of Manchester City's opening win was Rico Lewis's late red card dismissal for a dangerous high challenge. He will be unavailable for the Al Ain match, with Matheus Nunes expected to step in at right-back position.
Pep Guardiola may implement squad rotation from the team that defeated Wydad AC due to the short recovery time between matches, potentially bringing players like Rúben Dias, İlkay Gündoğan and Erling Haaland into the starting eleven.
Tijjani Reijnders and Rayan Cherki made their Manchester City debuts in the previous match, while Rayan Aït-Nouri remained on the bench. The Algerian defender is expected to get playing time against Al Ain.
Man City Predicted Lineup vs. Al Ain
Man City Predicted Lineup vs. Al Ain (4-1-4-1): Ederson; Nunes, Khusanov, Dias, Aït-Nouri; González; Silva, Gündoğan, Foden, Savinho; Haaland.
Al Ain Team News
Vladimir Ivić is expected to maintain a similar lineup despite the heavy defeat to Juventus, with former Wolverhampton Wanderers keeper Rui Patrício anticipated to face another busy evening against Manchester City.
Al Ain will likely deploy the same 5-3-2 system they used against Juventus, hoping it provides better defensive organization at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Kodjo Laba and Soufiane Rahimi will spearhead their attacking efforts.
Al Ain Predicted Lineup vs. Man City
Al Ain Predicted Lineup vs. Man City (4-3-3): Patrício; Traore, Ratnik, Rabia, Cardoso, Zabala; Kaku, Park, Palacios; Laba, Rahimi.
Man City vs. Al Ain Score Prediction
Considering how comprehensively Juventus dismantled Al Ain in their previous outing, very few expect the 2024 AFC Champions League champions to avoid another defeat against Pep Guardiola's squad. Their defensive performance was poor in the opener, and they managed only 0.52 expected goals in their attacking phases.
Manchester City possesses impressive squad depth and should rotate players before their crucial encounter with Juventus in Matchday 3. Nevertheless, having rested key players against Wydad AC, they can introduce some star performers, which spells danger for Al Ain.