Manchester City vs Al Ain

Manchester City can secure a spot in the Club World Cup knockout stage with a game to spare as they face UAE giants Al-Ain at Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Group G on Sunday.

Pep Guardiola’s squad kicked off the tournament with a comfortable 2-0 win against Wydad AC, while Al-Ain suffered a heavy defeat to a rampant Juventus side.

Phil Foden, despite a dip in domestic form during the 2024-25 season, shone brightly in City’s opener at Lincoln Financial Field. The former PFA Player of the Year scored a sharp left-footed goal just two minutes in and later set up Jeremy Doku for a second from a corner before halftime. The only downside for City was Rico Lewis’ late red card, which infuriated Guardiola, though it did little to tarnish an otherwise solid performance.

A win against Al-Ain would lock in City’s place in the next round, thanks to their head-to-head edge over Wydad. However, with Juventus thrashing Al-Ain 5-0, City are currently in second place. With Real Madrid stumbling in their opening match, the Group G winners could face Los Blancos in the knockout round, making second place potentially advantageous for Guardiola’s side.

Al-Ain narrowly avoided the tournament’s worst defeat on matchday one, as Bayern Munich’s 10-0 rout of Auckland City overshadowed their loss to Juventus. In Washington D.C., Randal Kolo Muani and Francisco Conceicao each scored twice, while Kenan Yildiz’s stunning long-range effort capped a dominant Bianconeri display.

Sitting fourth in the group, Al-Ain, coached by Vladimir Ivic, face a daunting task against City to keep their slim hopes of a top-two finish alive. The 14-time UAE champions have pulled off upsets before, notably beating River Plate to reach the 2018 Club World Cup final, only to fall to Real Madrid. However, after losing their seven-game unbeaten run—and six clean sheets—in a humbling defeat to Juventus, the 2024 AFC Champions League winners face a steep challenge to stay alive in the competition.