Man City want to win their second Club World Cup title in a row as they get ready for their Group G opener on Wednesday. They will face Moroccan side Wydad AC in Philadelphia. The group also includes Juventus and UAE’s Al-Ain, so City must finish in the top two to avoid a major setback.
Man City vs Wydad Match Preview
City’s fans hope tough times will make their team stronger, after a disappointing 2024-25 season. The only trophy they lifted was the Community Shield early on. They lost their Premier League crown to Liverpool, were knocked out of the Champions League by Real Madrid, and lost the FA Cup final to Crystal Palace.
Off the pitch, the club also waits for the verdict on the 115 charges hanging over them. Still, Guardiola and the transfer team have wasted no time making new signings. Rayan Cherki, Rayan Ait-Nouri and Tijjani Reijnders have already joined. They will aim to help fill the creative gap left by Kevin De Bruyne, and more signings could follow before the league restarts.
City enter this tournament as the defending champions. They won the 2023 edition easily. In 2024, FIFA replaced the competition with the Intercontinental Cup for one year.
Wydad AC have more experience at this level, though. This will be their third time playing in the Club World Cup. The Moroccan giants have won 22 domestic titles. They first took part in 2017-18, losing the fifth-place match to Urawa Red Diamonds. In 2022-23, Al-Hilal knocked them out in the second round.
Wydad qualified for the expanded tournament thanks to winning the 2021-22 CAF Champions League. But they have had a hard time since. They finished third in the 2024-25 Botola and got knocked out in the group stage of the 2023-24 CAF Champions League for the first time ever.
Last month, they lost friendlies against Porto and Sevilla, both 1-0. They now want to avoid a heavy defeat in their opening match.
Man City vs Wydad Team News
City’s new players Reijnders, Cherki, Ait-Nouri and backup keeper Marcus Bettinelli have all travelled to the USA. Guardiola may give the first three their debuts in this match. John Stones has joined the team despite his recent thigh problem, but Mateo Kovacic stayed back in England to recover from a heel injury.
With a big game against Juventus in eight days, Guardiola might rotate his squad. He often keeps his starting XI a secret until matchday.
Wydad’s squad includes 38-year-old winger Nordin Amrabat, who joined last month after playing for Hull City. Mohamed Rayhi, a former PSV player, will likely lead the attack. He was Wydad’s top scorer last season with 11 goals.
Man City vs Wydad Predicted Lineups
Man City: Ederson; Lewis, Khusanov, Gvardiol, Ait-Nouri; Reijnders, Gonzalez; Cherki, Foden, Doku; Haaland
Wydad AC : El Motie; Moufi, Meijers, Harkass, Boucheta; Malsa, Moubarik; Amrabat, Arthur, Rayhi; Obeng
Man City vs Wydad Prediction
Man City 4-0 Wydad AC
Even if Guardiola rests key players, City still have enough quality to score several goals and win comfortably. Wydad will aim to keep the score down and avoid a repeat of past failures.
