Manchester City vs Al Ain tips:
Manchester City face UAE side Al Ain in the second of their Club World Cup matches in Atlanta in the early hours of Monday morning.
Pep Guardiola’s side sit joint top of the Group G table with Juventus after both sides won their opening games.
City ran out 2-0 winners against Wydad Casablanca on Wednesday, with goals from Phil Foden and Jeremy Doku, before young defender Rico Lewis was sent off, so he will miss Monday’s game through suspension.
Juve ran out 5-0 winners against City’s next opponents, in Washington, with Randal Kolo Muani and Francisco Conceição both scoring twice.
The Italian side dominated all the statistics, with almost 64% of possession, more shots on target and more touches in the box, and we expect a similar pattern for City.
Al Ain, managed by Vladimir Ivic, finished fifth in the Pro League, so it’s easy to see why they were no match for Juventus.
Since winning their second AFC Champions League title two seasons ago, they have struggled to rediscover that form, losing six and drawing the other two of their matches as they tried to defend their title, finishing bottom of the re-formatted league phase.
Manchester City vs Al Ain prediction: City to shine in Atlanta
After enduring their own difficult spell last season, City head into Monday’s game winning eight of their last 10 matches, in all competitions, which helped them eventually finish third in the Premier League table.
They have added several new signings to their squad since then, including Rayan Cherki and Tijjani Reijnders, who both made their debuts against Wydad.
Midfielder Rodri made only his second appearance since September as he continues his recovery from a cruciate ligament injury, coming off the bench after an hour.
Football betting sites are all backing City for the win at 1/14, while you can get 33/1 on an Al Ain win and 12/1 on a draw.
The big question will be how many City can win by, and you can get 9/1 on them matching the 5-0 win secured by Juventus, but they would love to go one better to give themselves a chance of winning the group.
Betting sites are offering 16/1 in the latest Club World Cup odds on a 6-0 win and it’s not something you would rule out, especially as Erling Haaland hasn’t found his stride just yet.
However, we’re going to cover the bases by taking over 5.5 goals in the match.
Manchester City vs Al Ain prediction 1: Over 5.5 goals - 9/2 Bet365
Manchester City vs Al Ain betting: Fresh Foden in form
Phil Foden scored one and provided an assist for the other on Wednesday and Guardiola will be hoping this is a sign of things to come from the England star.
The 25-year-old has declared it is a “new season, fresh me” after struggling for form for large parts of last season, which saw him score just 10 goals in 45 appearances for his boyhood club.
This is a stark contrast to the previous season, when he netted 28 goals for club and country and City won the Premier League and England reached the final of the European Championships.
We all know that when Foden does score, it usually sparks a goalscoring run. He broke a run of 20 games without a goal, last time out, but before that, he netted six goals in six games.
Betting apps have him at 5/1 to score first or last and 6/5 to score at any time, and you can get 13/2 on him scoring two or more as he did against Brentford and Ipswich in consecutive matches earlier this season.
Manchester City vs Al Ain prediction 2: Phil Foden to score at any time - 11/10 Bet365
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