Will Man City secure a place in the round of 16?

Manchester City has successfully navigated the opening match of the Club World Cup. The Sky Blues from Manchester successfully prevailed against Wydad Casablanca in their first group match and, in line with the Club World Cup 2025 odds, have already set the course for the knockout phase. If they pick up three points against Al Ain, the Cityzens will be guaranteed a place in the round of 16. Our Manchester City vs. Al Ain tip is based on this prediction.

The visitors from the United Arab Emirates suffered a bitter defeat against Juventus Turin in their group opener. Al-Ain FC was completely dismantled, conceding a total of five goals in the group match against the Italians. A clear defeat cannot be ruled out on the second matchday of the Club World Cup.

Manchester City – Statistics & current form

Manchester City got off to a confident start in the tournament, winning their group match against Wydad 2-0 on the first matchday. The Cityzens did without key players such as Erling Haaland & Co. in the starting line-up, opting instead for Doku, Marmoush and Savinho in attack. City were already two goals ahead against the Moroccans before the break.

Although Haaland & Co. came on during the game, the result remained unchanged – despite an xG rating of 1.92 and 68% possession. In the closing stages, Rico Lewis was also sent off and will therefore be unavailable for the second matchday. In his absence, Pep Guardiola is likely to turn to Ait-Nouri.

Compared to the starting eleven that last played against Wydad, changes on the Sky Blues’ side cannot be ruled out anyway. There is plenty of room for manoeuvre in the Cityzens’ ranks. Pep Guardiola can rotate his squad, especially in attack, and rest some of the players who featured in the last game.

Will Man City deliver a goal fest?

Considering how strong City looked against Wydad’s defensive wall, Pep Guardiola’s team should not have too much trouble against Al Ain. The only question against the club from the United Arab Emirates is how many goals the Sky Blues from Manchester will score against Al Ain FC.

Bets on the exact number of goals scored by the Cityzens can be placed at VBET, among others. Don’t have an account with this bookmaker yet? New customers also benefit from the VBET welcome bonus. In the first group match against Wydad, Foden and Doku scored for the Sky Blues. If Phil Foden scores again this time, Winamax is currently offering odds of over 2.00.

Only two players are expected to be sidelined for City on the second matchday. There are currently no further absences for the Sky Blues from Manchester.

Predicted starting line-up for Manchester City:
Ederson – Ait Nouri, Gvardiol, Dias, Nunes – Gündogan, Reijnders, Marmoush, Cherki, Doku – Haaland

Al-Ain – Statistics & current form

Al Ain suffered a clear defeat against Juventus in their group opener. Vladimir Ivic’s team was already trailing 0-4 before the break. In the second half, the purple and white team conceded only one more goal. Nevertheless, the result (0-5) was not pretty. Al Ain now has only a slim chance of advancing to the knockout stage of the Club World Cup.

If Vladimir Ivic’s team also loses the group match against Manchester City, it will probably be impossible for “Al Zaeem” to advance to the round of 16 of the Club World Cup. It therefore remains to be seen what attitude Al Ain FC will take into this match and how much they will risk in the course of the game.

Al Ain FC did not make a bad impression ahead of the Club World Cup, remaining unbeaten in seven consecutive UAE League matches. Vladimir Ivic’s team even kept a clean sheet in six of those seven games. This made the defensive debacle in the group opener against Juventus Turin all the more surprising.

Will Al Ain FC be shown up again against Man City?

After a weak start to the group stage, it would be more than surprising if Al Ain FC were to score against Manchester City on the second matchday. However, anyone who still wants to place a bet on the UAE club in the group match between Manchester City and Al Ain can use a free bet without deposit to minimize their risk.

However, bookmakers consider this scenario unrealistic. After all, odds of over 30.00 are currently being offered for a bet on Al Ain. In March 2025, Al Ain FC faced a Premier League team once before. The match against Aston Villa – a friendly, mind you – ended in a 1-3 defeat for “Al Zaeem.”

Vladimir Ivic has no major personnel concerns, as was the case on the first matchday against Juventus. However, after the weak performance against the Old Lady, changes in Al Zaeem’s starting line-up cannot be ruled out.

Predicted line-up for Al Ain:
Eisa – Salomoni, Kouadio, Park, Cardoso, Traoré – Al-Baloushi, Nader – Rahimi, Kaku – Laba

Manchester City – Al Ain Head-to-head record / H2H record

This is the first time Manchester City and Al Ain FC have ever met.

Manchester City – Al Ain Prediction

Manchester City should not have too much trouble in their second group game against Al Ain FC and should pick up three points. The Sky Blues already established their dominance in their first group game against Wydad, winning comfortably. Al Ain, on the other hand, suffered a heavy defeat against Juventus, conceding five goals in total.

A similar result cannot be ruled out against City. The Cityzens have enough offensive power to do so. In addition, City scored twice before halftime against Wydad Casablanca’s defensive wall. City’s attack should not have too much trouble against Al Ain.

Our Manchester City vs. Al Ain tip is for a Sky Blue victory with a margin of at least three goals at odds of 1.73. We are placing five units on our prediction. Alternatively, bets on the exact number of goals scored by City are also recommended. This betting option is also available at Bwin.