Man City can secure a place in the Club World Cup knockout round early when they face UAE giants Al-Ain at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta on Sunday in Group G.
Pep Guardiola’s team enjoyed a fairly calm start to the tournament, beating Morocco’s Wydad AC 2-0, while Al-Ain suffered a heavy defeat at the hands of a ruthless Juventus side.
Man City vs Al-Ain Match Preview

Phil Foden’s struggles in the 2024–25 season have drawn criticism, but the England star showed his quality in the first match against Wydad at Lincoln Financial Field. He scored early with a smart left-footed shot, then assisted Jeremy Doku from a corner late in the first half.
The only downside for Guardiola came when Rico Lewis saw red late on, leaving the manager furious. Still, City looked in control throughout and earned three points without much trouble.
If City win this weekend, they will book their spot in the next stage thanks to their better head-to-head record against Wydad. But Juventus’ dominant win over Al-Ain means City are currently second in the group.
Real Madrid failed to win their opening match in the Club World Cup, so the top team in Group G could face them early. That makes finishing second in the group a possible advantage for Guardiola and his team.

Al-Ain escaped the worst defeat of the opening round, thanks to Bayern Munich’s 10-0 demolition of Auckland City. Juventus still battered the UAE team, scoring five by the 60-minute mark. Randal Kolo Muani and Francisco Conceicao both got braces, while Kenan Yildiz added a stunning long-range goal.
Now bottom of the group, Al-Ain need a miracle to reach the next round. Their fans remember their 2018 run, when they shocked River Plate to reach the final. But they fell to Real Madrid and now face another European heavyweight in Man City.
Al-Ain had gone unbeaten in seven games before that Juventus thrashing, with six clean sheets. Now they must try to recover and survive another big challenge on American soil.
Man City Club World Cup form: W
Man City form (all competitions): WDLWWW
Al-Ain Club World Cup form: L
Al-Ain form (all competitions): WDWDWL
Team News

Rico Lewis will miss this match after being sent off for kicking Samuel Obeng during a 50-50 tackle. Matheus Nunes is likely to cover at right-back, though Guardiola could also turn to Abdukodir Khusanov or John Stones.
With Juventus and maybe Real Madrid coming up next, Guardiola might rotate heavily. New left-back Rayan Ait-Nouri could finally make his debut as part of that reshuffle.
Al-Ain manager Vladimir Ivic has no fresh injury or suspension issues to worry about. He may again set up his team defensively to avoid another heavy loss.
Veteran Portuguese keeper Rui Patricio should start in goal with a five-man defence in front of him. Fabio Cardoso, on loan from Porto, may join the back line again.
Man City predicted lineup:
Ortega; Nunes, Khusanov, Gvardiol, Ait-Nouri; Gonzalez, Gundogan; Bobb, Echeverri, Foden; Haaland
Al-Ain predicted lineup:
Patricio; Traore, Ratnik, Rabia, Cardoso, Zabala; Kaku, Nader; Park; Chadli, Laba
Man City vs Al-Ain Prediction
Man City 4-0 Al-Ain
Al-Ain will likely set up to defend, but their wall won’t last long. City should break through and score multiple goals again.
Even if Guardiola makes several changes and saves key players for Juventus, City should win comfortably and seal their spot in the next round.