Verdict: Total home goals over 3.5
Best odds: 21/20
Bookmaker: 888sport
Manchester City begin their quest for back-to-back Club World Cup titles on Wednesday, kicking off Group G action against Moroccan side Wydad AC in Philadelphia.
Also drawn alongside Serie A heavyweights Juventus and UAE outfit Al-Ain, the Premier League giants will expect nothing less than a top-two finish — anything short of that would represent a major disappointment for Pep Guardiola’s side.
Manchester City
Difficult times often forge resilient characters, and Manchester City supporters will be hoping that rings true for Pep Guardiola and his squad, who are eager to leave the 2024/25 season behind.
A Community Shield victory early in the campaign was as good as it got for the Sky Blues, who relinquished their Premier League crown to Liverpool without much resistance, exited the Champions League at the hands of Real Madrid, and endured a heart-breaking FA Cup final loss to Crystal Palace.
Adding to their off-field concerns, the impending verdict on 115 financial charges continues to cast a shadow over the Etihad. However, in areas within their control, Guardiola and the club’s recruitment team have wasted no time in bolstering the squad, diving into the summer transfer market with purpose.
Already through the door are Rayan Cherki, Rayan Ait-Nouri, and Tijjani Reijnders — with Cherki and Reijnders expected to help fill the creative void left by an aging and injury-prone Kevin De Bruyne. Additional signings are expected before the new domestic campaign gets underway.
On the pitch, City arrive in the USA as reigning Club World Cup champions, having lifted the trophy in 2023 before FIFA briefly introduced the Intercontinental Cup as a stand-in for 2024.
Team News
All of City’s fresh recruits — including backup goalkeeper Marcus Bettinelli — have travelled to Philadelphia, and debuts for Cherki, Ait-Nouri, and Reijnders seem likely in their Group G opener.
Injury-prone centre-back John Stones has also made the trip despite missing the end of the season with a thigh issue, while Mateo Kovačić (heel) remains back in Manchester to continue his recovery.
With Juventus looming in eight days, Guardiola — a manager known for unpredictable and extensive rotation — may field a rotated starting XI against Wydad AC, though his exact approach remains characteristically difficult to forecast.
Wydad Casablanca
While Manchester City enter the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup as reigning champions, their Group G opponents Wydad AC arrive with slightly more experience in the competition — this summer marks the Moroccan club’s third appearance on the global stage.
A giant of African football with a record 22 domestic titles to their name, Wydad debuted at the Club World Cup in the 2017–18 edition, eventually finishing sixth after losing the fifth-place play-off to Japan’s Urawa Red Diamonds. Their second outing came in 2022–23, when they were eliminated in the second round by Saudi side Al-Hilal.
Their latest ticket to the expanded tournament was punched via their 2021–22 CAF Champions League triumph, but the years since that continental success have exposed cracks that coach Mohamed Amine Benhachem must address.
Wydad slumped to a third-place finish in the 2024–25 Botola Pro campaign, and their 2023–24 CAF Champions League run ended in disappointment, as they suffered a group-stage exit — their first ever at that phase of the tournament.
Ahead of their Club World Cup opener, the Casablanca-based side endured narrow 1-0 defeats in friendlies against European opponents Porto and Sevilla. While those results may have been encouraging in terms of defensive resilience, containing the firepower of Manchester City presents a vastly different challenge, and simply limiting the damage may be Wydad’s primary objective on Wednesday.
Team News
Wydad’s 29-man squad is spearheaded by veteran winger Nordin Amrabat, who joined the club last month after a stint with Hull City.
The 38-year-old brings valuable experience to the side and could link up in attack with former PSV Eindhoven talent Mohamed Rayhi, Wydad’s top scorer last season with 11 goals in the league.
Conclusion
Tougher challenges certainly lie ahead, but even a rotated Manchester City side should have little trouble beginning their Group G campaign in emphatic fashion against the Moroccan underdogs.
Verdict: Total home goals over 3.5
Best odds: 21/20
Bookmaker: 888sport
