Potentially 90 minutes away from reaching the quarter-finals in their maiden FIFA Club World Cup appearance, Juventus take on Wydad AC in Philadelphia in their second Group G outing. Lincoln Financial Field sets the stage for the first-ever meeting between the two teams, and the stakes can hardly be any higher.

After a sub-standard 2024/25 season, this could mark the beginning of a new winning cycle for the record-time Italian champions. Juventus couldn’t have hoped for a better way to kick things off in the United States as they humbled Al-Ain 5-0 in their opening group game.

Francisco Conceicao and Randal Kolo Muani scored two goals apiece to inspire the Bianconeri to a statement victory in Washington. As a result, Juventus can seal progression into the knockout stages with a game to spare if they beat Wydad on Sunday late afternoon.

Unlike their opposition, the Egyptian outfit slumped to a somewhat expected 2-0 defeat to Manchester City. In all fairness, Amine Benhachem’s side can consider themselves lucky for avoiding a rout, given the amount of chances Pep Guardiola’s team spurned in Philadelphia.

Nonetheless, there’s no margin for error here as another loss would more than likely send Wydad packing. However, the task ahead is nothing short of Herculean as they gear up for their second-ever encounter against European rivals.

Match Preview

Juventus

Sheer firepower saw Juventus wipe the floor with Al-Ain on day one. It was the biggest-ever victory an Italian club had pulled off at the Club World Cup, perhaps setting the tone for a standout result in the newly formatted competition. Head coach Igor Tudor may have found a formula for success.

Indeed, Juventus have finally strung together three consecutive wins, last achieving this feat in February. Furthermore, they’ve been restless in front of goal, netting at least two on each occasion at an average of 3.33 per game. Delivering action from the get-go, they put four unanswered first-half goals past Al-Ain in the curtain-raising fixture.

Another noteworthy takeaway from that victory was a rare clean sheet for the Turin heavyweights. As such, they could win back-to-back matches without conceding for the first time since August last year. Considering a sizeable gulf in class between the two teams, it’s hard to discard the possibility of another shutout.

However, it could lead to another low-scoring event, which has recently been a common theme in Juventus’ outings. Only three of their last ten have produced 3+ goals.

Wydad AC

Despite falling behind after less than two minutes, Wydad held their ground against a star-studded Man City. Defensive resilience displayed against Guardiola’s charges could be a crucial ingredient here as they bid to upset the apple cart in their second successive game in Philadelphia.

Still, it will take something truly remarkable to pick up their first victory at the Club World Cup. Though familiar with the competition, having featured in the 2017 and 2022 editions, Wydad have yet to get into the win column. Facing one of the world’s most esteemed clubs doesn’t bode well, though.

Benhachem’s men must recover from back-to-back defeats ‘to nil’ for the first time since October 2024. A quick-fire start may help, and an early goal is not beyond the realm of possibility. For context, Wydad’s last four competitive matches have seen an opener inside 15 minutes. The problem is they were on the receiving end on two occasions.

With the winners of Wydad’s last six competitive outings scoring precisely twice,

Team News

Arkadiusz Milik, Gleison Bremer, and Juan Cabal are on the verge of full recovery. However, all three should stay on the sidelines. Meanwhile, this could be a chance for Dusan Vlahovic to rescue his Juventus career amid talks the Serie A giants are considering offloading him to Milan, via Calciomercato.

On the other hand, Wydad will be without first-choice defender Ayoub Boucheta. He’s the only notable absentee in the Egyptian camp. Any hope of pulling off an upset may rest on Toronto loanee Cassius Mailula, the author of two goals and one assist from his last four appearances for the Club of the Nation.

Juventus vs Wydad AC Potential Starting Line-ups

Juventus (3-4-2-1): Di Gregorio; Kalulu, Gatti, Kelly; Gonzalez, Thuram, Locatelli, Cambiaso; Conceicao, Yildiz; Kolo Muani.

Wydad AC (5-4-1): Benabid; Moufi, Meijers, Boutouil, Ferreira, Moufid; Amrabat, Malsa, Mailula, Lorch; Rayhi.

Juventus vs Wydad FC Prediction

Wydad won’t go down without a fight, but Juventus should have more than enough quality and attacking potency to outgun the Egyptians. A 2-0 scoreline could be the order of the day unless Tudor’s defense gives away another cheap goal as they often had toward the end of the Serie A season.

Prediction: Juventus to Win