Álvaro Hernández
Dailysports's expert
The opening whistle will sound at 3:00 Central European Time, and I’m offering you my pick for this clash.
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Match preview
Manchester City cruised past Moroccan side Wydad in their opening fixture (2-0) with minimal effort, while Al Ain suffered a heavy defeat to Juventus (0-5).
Pep Guardiola, despite Lewis’ red card, is unlikely to radically change his tactics, but will probably rotate the squad to balance the workload among all players.
Al Ain will look to bounce back from a humiliating loss, with Soufiane Rahimi eager to prove his worth. Given the difference in quality, Al Ain will most likely rely on counterattacks, aiming to trouble City’s defenders with quick balls in behind.
Probable line-ups
Manchester City: Ederson, Nunes, Dias, Aké, O’Riley, Silva, Reijnders, Savio, Foden, Marmoush, Haaland
Al Ain: Patricio, Traore, Kouadio, Rabia, Sabala, Park, Palacios, Nader, Rahimi, Kaku, Laba
Interesting facts and head-to-head
The only previous meeting between these teams ended 3-0 in favor of Manchester City
Manchester City have conceded just three times in their last ten matches
Al Ain have never beaten a top-tier European side
Match prediction
In this match, I’m confident Manchester City will score plenty and in style. My prediction: Manchester City individual total over 2.5 goals at odds of 1.62
