Man City vs Al Ain preview, H2H, team news, line-ups, and prediction

Defending champions Manchester City will host United Arab Emirates side Al Ain in their second game of the expanded FIFA Club World Cup format with their sights firmly set on retaining the title to kickstart a potential trophy-laden season.

Drawn in Group G, City are widely tipped to advance but must navigate a challenging pool featuring Italian giants Juventus, UAE side Al-Ain, and Moroccan champions Wydad AC if they’re to reach the knockout phase.

Although they lifted the Club World Cup trophy just months ago, Pep Guardiola’s men arrive in North America no longer the indomitable force that swept all before them. Their dominance has faltered, and while their recent form has been patchy, they are still considered among the contenders to claim the ultimate prize.

The 2024–25 campaign marked a rare barren year for Guardiola’s side, ending without silverware for the first time in nearly a decade. That disappointment for fans with Man City tickets, however, has only sharpened their resolve, with ambitious transfer activities aimed at reinforcing their squad.

With their Premier League and European campaigns behind them, the team now sees the upcoming Club World Cup as a fresh beginning—a platform to reset and reassert their place at the summit of world football.

Placed in Group G, the reigning champions face a stern examination of their credentials, with Juventus, Al-Ain, and Wydad AC standing in their path to the knockout stages. While widely expected to progress, Guardiola’s men must avoid complacency in a group packed with pedigree and ambition.

Their triumph in Saudi Arabia last December—where they beat Urawa Red Diamonds and Fluminense to clinch the Club World Cup—seems like a distant memory. Since then, the aura of dominance that once surrounded City has dimmed. A campaign without a single significant honour has raised questions over the team’s trajectory.

Having surrendered their domestic crown and fallen short in Europe at the hands of a ruthless Real Madrid, City concluded the 2024–25 season empty-handed—something not seen since Guardiola’s early years in charge.

Yet this barren spell may spark a revival. With no trophies to show for their efforts, the upcoming Club World Cup now carries added significance. For Guardiola and his players, the competition offers a much-needed reset—an early opportunity to lay the foundations for the season ahead and restore their status as football’s leading force.

Should Manchester City top Group G, they will meet the second-placed team from Group H at Orlando’s Camping World Stadium on June 31 in their first knockout match. However, if they finish as runners-up, their next challenge would come against the Group H winners at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami on July 1.

2023–24 AFC Champions League holders Al Ain have a history in this competition, having progressed to the Club World Cup final in 2018, where they were defeated 4–1 by Real Madrid.

Facing Europe’s football aristocracy may stir excitement and anxiety in equal measure. However, Al Ain can draw from prior experiences that prove such feats are possible. They’ve defeated Juventus before and understand the demands of confronting a team brimming with stars like City.

That memory may be buried beneath digital cobwebs—but a timeworn video captures former UAE skipper Mohammed Omar bursting through Juventus’ backline and drilling a shot past the legendary Gianluigi Buffon.

It occurred in the seventh minute of a mid-season exhibition between Al Ain and Juventus in January 2003. For the rest of that encounter, the Marcelo Lippi-led outfit—featuring luminaries such as Pavel Nedved, Alessandro Del Piero, Edgar Davids, David Trezeguet, and Antonio Conte—could not break through Al Ain.

Though no player from that era remains active, the tale has been passed down to the 2025 squad.

Al Ain are titans of Emirati football and have twice been crowned Asia’s premier club. They toppled numerous heavyweights en route to becoming the UAE’s inaugural representative at this expanded global showcase.

Their stunning campaign en route to continental triumph last season included famous victories over Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al Nassr and Neymar’s Al Hilal—though the Brazilian forward was injured. In the final, they routed Yokohama F. Marinos, managed by Harry Kewell and, until recently, overseen by Ange Postecoglou.

Al Ain care little for reputations. They tend to flourish when the stakes and the stature of opponents are highest. To leave a meaningful impression in the United States, they must rediscover last season’s fire to make a statement against a star-studded City side.

Man City vs. Al Ain match details

• Date: Monday, 23rd June 2025
• Location: Atlanta, USA
• Venue: Mercedes-Benz Stadium
• Kick-off time: 01:00 AM UTC, 02:00 AM GMT
• Tickets: Manchester City vs Al Ain FC tickets can be purchased through the club, FIFA or resellers such as Seatsnet.com

Match stats and head-to-head

• Pep Guardiola holds a flawless record in the old Club World Cup format, having overseen eight wins from eight matches—his teams netting 25 times and allowing just two goals.

• No manager has lifted the trophy on more occasions than Guardiola, who has done so four times across three clubs—Barcelona (2009 and 2011), Bayern Munich (2013), and Manchester City (2023).

•  City kept two clean sheets in their previous Club World Cup appearance in 2023—beating Urawa Red Diamonds 3-0 in the semi-final before dismantling Fluminense 4-0 in the showpiece match.

• Al Ain earned qualification for the 2025 tournament by clinching the 2023–24 AFC Champions League title. The Emirati outfit impressed with a blend of structured defence and inventive attacking play throughout the competition.

• In the AFC final, Al Ain overturned a 2–1 first-leg deficit against Japan’s Yokohama F. Marinos, thrashing them 5–1 in the return leg to secure a commanding 6–3 win on aggregate. Star names like Soufiane Rahimi and Kodjo Fo-Doh Laba were instrumental—Rahimi especially standing out among the tournament’s elite performers.

• Despite finishing third in the 2023–24 Pro League, Al Ain were a substantial 22 points adrift of the champions. They followed that up with a fifth-place finish the next year. Nevertheless, a closing run of four victories and two draws has provided encouraging momentum going into the Club World Cup.

• Togo international Kodjo Laba enters the contest in blistering form—having struck 20 goals in just 21 league outings for the UAE-based club.

• In the Cityzens most recent 10 games across all competitions, at least 22 goals have been scored with over 12 coming in the opening 45 minutes.

Team news

Veteran shot-stopper Rui Patrício—previously with Wolverhampton Wanderers—is in contention to make his debut for Al Zaeem in this tournament. The 37-year-old, who has represented clubs such as Roma, Atalanta, and Wolves, brings a wealth of experience and proven reflexes.

An almost certain starter in their backline is Erik (€4.9m), who operates as a left-back or as a left-wing-back. The Brazilian delivered five assists in the final ten fixtures of his domestic league season, underlining his offensive contribution.

Alejandro Romero stands out as a top midfield pick—he is involved in corner and free-kick duties, offering multiple avenues to accumulate points. He also recorded six goals and nine assists during his last league campaign.

In attack, Soufiane Rahimi emerges as another key figure. The 2024 AFC Champions League’s leading scorer consistently thrives under pressure, registering 11 goals in the 2024/25 UAE Pro League.

Another forward possibly included in Vladimir Ivić’s lineup is set-piece expert Kodjo Laba, who netted an impressive 20 times in just 21 league matches recently.

On the Manchester City front, Jack Grealish has not been included in the squad for the Club World Cup in the United States.

However, all four players brought in over the summer are expected to travel, with goalkeeper Marcus Bettinelli, left-back Rayan Aït-Nouri, and midfielders Tijjani Reijnders and Rayan Cherki all selected.

Mateo Kovačić is currently sidelined with injury, while James McAtee has opted to feature for England’s Under-21s instead.

City have included Rodri, who is continuing his recovery from injury, though Kevin De Bruyne is absent, having completed a move to Serie A titleholders Napoli.

Predicted starting lineup 

Al-Ain predicted starting lineup:

Patricio; Traore, Al-Hashemi, Koumare, Erik; Park, Al Baloushi; Atzili, Romero, Rahimi; Laba.

Man City predicted starting lineup:

Ederson; Nunes, Dias, Gvardiol, O’Reilly; Kovacic, Bernardo; Doku, De Bruyne, Marmoush; Haaland.

Prediction

Any group containing the most successful manager in modern football, the reigning Asian Champions League holders, and Italy’s most illustrious club is bound to produce high drama.

While much of the anticipation centres around whether City can avenge their Champions League loss to Juventus in December, it is their encounter against Al Ain that could ultimately reveal if Guardiola’s men shed the weight of last season or whether they remain in need of further squad additions to truly turn the page on what was a chaotic campaign.

On the other hand, Al Ain boss Vladimir Ivić brings with him coaching stints from Israel, Russia, and Greece, and a short-lived spell with Watford in England before arriving in the Gulf.

Such a varied background may prove advantageous given the circumstances they will face. The tactical demands his players must meet on American soil will differ significantly from their typical domestic approach.

As a dominant presence in the UAE Pro League, backed by a passionate fanbase, Al Ain are accustomed to dictating play and adopting an attacking stance. Attempting a similar strategy against European giants such as Manchester City or Juventus, however, could prove ill-advised.

We’re predicting a 2-0 win for Man City.