Manchester City will be looking to secure top spot in their group when they face Juventus at the 2025 Club World Cup on Thursday at 8pm (UK time).
Man City predicted lineup vs Juventus
Man City (4-3-3): Ederson; Nunes, Stones, Ake, Ait Nouri; Silva, Reijnders, Gundogan; Foden, Haaland, Doku.
These two sides have totally dominated Group G, each beating Wydad AC and Al Ain, with 17 goals scored combined and just one conceded. Now, they meet to decide who will finish in top spot.
Man City beat Wydad 2-0 in their opening match before a 6-0 demolition of Al Ain, the latter featuring an Erling Haaland penalty and a late strike from new signing Rayan Cherki.
Man City team news vs Juventus
The extension of his suspension means Rico Lewis will remain sidelined for this match, giving Pep Guardiola another decision to make at right-back.
Abdukodir Khusanov filled in there against Al Ain but is himself only one more booking away from a suspension, so Matheus Nunes might take up the position as he did toward the end of last season.
Claudio Echeverri picked up a minor injury against Al Ain after scoring his first goal for the club.
“It’s a pity for the twist,” said Guardiola. “[It]s a little bit sore.
“It was a problem at half-time, that’s why he could not continue but he has big talent in small space and a great goal.”
Elsewhere, Man City haven’t picked up any further injuries, while they’ve been able to slowly integrate the likes of Rodri and Oscar Bobb back into the squad. The former, in particular, will be itching for a start soon, although this may be a bit too early for him.
There will once again be plenty of rotation from Guardiola, especially with City already qualified, though he’ll want to put out a statement against a team like Juventus.
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‘Street football’ to bring Man City back?
Guardiola has long been heralded as one of the greatest tactical geniuses football has ever seen, to the point where it’s often been used as a criticism, with many accusing him of making the game boring.
But is all that about to change?
The Cityzens have blown away their competition so far in the United States, winning their first two games with eight goals scored and none conceded, and while the level of competition has admittedly not been too high, their overall play has been a joy to watch.
The likes of Cherki, Echeverri and Marmoush appear to be injecting new life into City’s forward line, and we might be moving into a new era of free-flowing Guardiola football.
“The skill is there, the understanding is there, the quality is there,” said former City defender Nedum Onuoha following the 6-0 win against Al Ain.
“As I was watching, I was thinking back to when I was playing and there were a few times in my career when something would happen and I don’t know how it’s happened.
“With some of those attackers, that’s what you’re seeing. Those people that can see a different sort of game are the hardest to play against because you’re never able to read them and they will always do something you don’t expect.”
Onuoha added: “This level of quality in my opinion, when it gets like this, creative and in flow, it’s the type of stuff that you see training and when they bring that onto game day, it’s top.”