Manchester City v Al Ain – lineup, statistics, preview

Match previews for Manchester City v Al Ain

Manchester City aims to secure their position in the Club World Cup knockout stage when they face UAE champions Al Ain at Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Sunday.

Pep Guardiola’s men rarely bothered by the opening group G fixture, mitigating past Widead AC 2-0, but Al-Ain was on the receiver of the ruthless Juventus performance, falling into a 5-0 loss.

Phil Foden set the city’s tone well before Jeremy Doc flipped over providers to double the lead before halftime. The slow red card for Rico Lewis provided the only wound in an otherwise dominant outing for the Premier League champions.

City is currently sitting second in the group due to goal differences, but will win Al Ain to see his position in the next round.

Depending on other outcomes, the second finish may even provide a slightly more favorable pass through the knockout stage. Real Madrid could be waiting for a Group G winner.

Meanwhile, Al Ain must pull away from the great upset in order to keep their slim qualification hopes alive. Vladimir IVIC’s men were fitted with braces of Randal Colomuani and Francisco Conseikao and a stunning Kenan Ildis strike by Juventus of Washington.

Al Ain has Club World Cup pedigree, and is famous for defeating the River Plate on his way to the Finals in 2018, but repeating such a heroic against Guardiola’s side is an even greater achievement.

Manchester City v Al Ain team news

Manchester City is not with Ricor Ruiz following his straight red card against Widad. Despite protests from city players, the young man was fired after catching Samuel Oben in the face during a ground challenge.

His absence opens the door for Matthew Nunes to slot into an unfamiliar right-back role, and Abdukodil Kusanov and John Stones can also be considered.

With future qualifications and more stringent tests, Guardiola chooses to spin and perhaps pass his debut to Rayan Ait-Nouri on the left back.

Al Ain has no concerns about new injuries or halts heading into his second match.

Manchester City v Al Ain’s prediction lineup

Manchester City: Ortega; Nunes, Khusanov, Gvardiol, Ait-Nouri; Gonzalez, Gundogan. Bobb, Echeverri, Foden;Haland

Al Ain: Patricio; Traore, Ratnik, Rabia, Cardoso, Zabala; Kaku, Nader; Parks; Chadri, Mule

How to watch Manchester City V Al Ain: TV Channels, Online Streams

Manchester City v Al Ain kicks off in the UK at 2:00am on Monday and fans can watch the game through Channel 5 or Dazn.

Manchester City v Al Ain Statistics

• Manchester City Wins four of the last five matches in all competitions
• Al Ain Undefeated at 7am before Juventus’ 5-0 defeat
• Al Ain reached the Club World Cup final in 2018, but has never beaten European opposition
• City has scored 14 goals in the last five matches in all competitions

prediction

Al Ain may try to absorb pressure and irritate Manchester City, but their defensive resilience can break under pressure.

Even if Guardiola is expected to spin, the depth of the city’s team should look comfortable up to the knockout stage.

Prediction: Manchester City 4-0 Al Ain