Pre-match review
Although Phil Foden's form in the 2024/25 Premier League season is not as brilliant as previous seasons, the English midfielder still knows how to shine at the right time.
In Man City's 2-0 win over Wydad AC in the opening match, Foden took just two minutes to score the opening goal of the match, before assisting Jeremy Doku to double the lead with a finish from a corner at the end of the first half.
The biggest minus point in the match was probably the red card given to young defender Rico Lewis at the end of the match, which made coach Pep Guardiola angry. However, the easy victory still helped the English team get closer to the ticket to the next round.
If they beat Al-Ain, Man City will secure a place in the knockout stages thanks to their superior head-to-head record against Wydad. However, with Juventus having thrashed Al-Ain in the first round, Guardiola's side are currently second in Group G.
In the context of Real Madrid surprisingly not winning the opening match in Group H, finishing first in Group G means that they may have to face "Los Blancos" in the next round, which makes many people believe that the second place in the group... is sometimes more favorable. Coach Pep Guardiola will certainly consider this.
On the other side of the front line, Al-Ain just experienced a nightmare called Juventus. The 0-5 defeat in Washington left the UAE representative with almost no way back. Randal Kolo Muani and Francisco Conceicao each scored a double, while Kenan Yildiz scored a superb long-range shot that hit the post, causing coach Vladimir Ivic and his team to suffer a crushing defeat.
Luckily for Al-Ain, Auckland City lost 10-0 to Bayern Munich, so they avoided the sad record of the opening match. However, their bottom position and poor goal difference make their chances of going through extremely slim.
In 2018, Al-Ain made a splash by eliminating River Plate to reach the final of the FIFA Club World Cup, where they were defeated by Real Madrid. But now, after a heavy defeat in their opening match and an unbeaten run of seven matches (including six clean sheets) ending, the West Asians need more than a miracle to continue their journey in the US.
Form, head-to-head history
The two teams have never met in the past.
In the last 5 matches, Man City won 3, drew 1 and lost 1. Meanwhile, Al-Ain won 2, drew 2 (in the domestic league) and lost 1, which was a heavy loss to Juventus.
Force information
Man City will be without Rico Lewis due to suspension. Matheus Nunes, a versatile player who can play at right-back, is likely to be given the chance to replace him.
In the context of possibly having to face Juventus or Real Madrid, coach Guardiola is expected to rotate the squad, creating conditions for Algerian rookie Rayan Ait-Nouri to debut.
Al-Ain have no injuries or suspensions and will likely continue with a five-man defence in an attempt to minimise the number of goals conceded. Notable names include veteran Portuguese goalkeeper Rui Patricio, who will remain in the starting line-up, and defender Fabio Cardoso (on loan from Porto) who will likely play as a centre-back.
Expected lineup
Man City (4-2-3-1): Ortega; Nunes, Khusanov, Gvardiol, Ait-Nouri; Gonzalez, Gundogan; Bobb, Echeverri, Foden; Haaland
Al-Ain (5-2-1-2): Patricio; Traore, Ratnik, Rabia, Cardoso, Zabala; Kaku, Nader; Park; Chadli, Laba
Score prediction: Man City 3-0 Al-Ain
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Trong Dat
Source: https://tienphong.vn/nhan-dinh-man-city-vs-al-ain-08h00-ngay-236-som-gianh-ve-di-tiep-post1753416.tpo
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