Manchester City will face Al-Ain in the FIFA Club World Cup on Sunday, looking to continue their impressive start to the tournament.

Manchester City picked up a comprehensive victory over Wydad Casablanca in their opening outing in the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup, and they will certainly fancy their chances of getting all three points vs Al-Ain this weekend. On paper, the Citizens are a better team, and they will be expected to deliver a strong performance.

Meanwhile, the visitors are coming into this game on the back of a comprehensive defeat against Juventus, with the Bianconeri clinching a 5-0 win. Wydad Casablanca are up against a much better team in Manchester City, and they will need to raise their performance levels in avoid a thrashing here.

The Premier League giants will certainly hope to punish the Moroccan outfit. It will be interesting to see if Wydad Casablanca can pull off an upset. The Hard Tackle looks closer at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.

Team News & Tactics

Manchester City

Pep Guardiola does not have any new injury issues heading into this game. Jack Grealish has been left out of the squad, and Rico Lewis picked up a suspension in the last game. Manchester City will shape up in their usual 4-2-3-1 formation vs Wydad Casablanca, with Ederson Moraes in goal.

Matheus Nunes and Rayan Ait-Nouri will start as the full-backs here, and they will look to contribute at both ends of the pitch. Ruben Dias will form the central defensive partnership alongside Josko Gvardiol.

As for the midfield unit, Tijjani Reijnders will add creativity and control alongside Rodri in the double pivot. The Spanish international will look to win the ball back and protect the backline.

Rayan Cherki will reprise the no. 10 role, and he will look to create opportunities for his teammates with his creativity, vision and flair. Bernardo Silva and Omar Marmoush will start on the flanks, with Erling Haaland leading the line for Manchester City vs Wydad Casablanca on Sunday.

Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Ederson; Nunez, Dias, Gvardiol, Ait-Nouri; Reijnders, Rodri; Silva, Cherki, Marmoush; Haaland

Al-Ain

Vladimir Ivic does not have any major injury issues heading into the game, and the UAE-based outfit should be able to field a full-strength lineup. Al-Ain are likely to start in their usual 3-4-1-2 formation vs Manchester City, with Rui Patricio in goal.

In the back three, Marcel Ratnik will start alongside Ramy Rabia and Kouame Autonne. Abdoul Karim Traore and Facundo Zabala will start as the wing-backs, and they will look to contribute at both ends of the pitch. They will look to protect the back three and help out in the final third.

Park Yong-woo and Matias Palacios will pair up in the middle of the park, and they will look to keep things tight in the middle of the park. Kaku will reprise the no. 10 role, and he will look to link the midfield with the attack. Finally, Soufiane Rahimi and Kodjo Laba will form the strike partnership.

Probable Lineup (3-4-1-2): Patricio; Ratnik, Rabia, Autonne; Traore, Park, Palacios, Zebala; Kaku; Rahimi, Laba

Key Stats

• Manchester City have picked up four wins from the last six matches in all competitions.
• Al-Ain have picked up three wins from the last six matches in all competitions.
• Al-Ain have kept four clean sheets in the last six matches.
• Manchester City has scored seven goals in the last three matches in all competitions.

Player to Watch

Erling Haaland

Embed from Getty Images

The Norwegian international is our key player to watch out for, and he could cause all sorts of problems for Al-Ain. Vladimir Ivic’s men have been quite vulnerable defensively, and they struggled to contain the Juventus attacking unit. They are up against a better attacking force in Manchester City, and it will be interesting to see how they combat that.

Meanwhile, Manchester City will look to create goalscoring opportunities in abundance, and Haaland could really punish the visitors. His ability to find the back of the net consistently makes him a defining player in this game.

Prediction

Manchester City 4-0 Al-Ain

Manchester City are the better team on paper, and they will be full of confidence after their win in their opening outing of the tournament. The Citizens will look to build on it, and they should be able to grind out a positive result here. Al-Ain are out of their depth, and they will struggle to keep Manchester City quiet.

The Premier League giants are full of quality, and the gulf in class between the two teams is significant. Al-Ain will look to put up a fight here, but they are likely to come up short. A comfortable win is on the cards for Manchester City. The Hard Tackle predicts a 4-0 win for Pep Guardiola and his charges.