Sport | Football
Manchester City embark on their Club World Cup knockout campaign tonight, facing Al Hilal in Orlando.
Pep Guardiola’s side cruised through the group stage, closing it out with a battling 5-2 win over Juventus.
It was a stunning attacking showpiece from the Sky Blues as Erling Haaland, Phil Foden, Jeremy Doku, and Savinho all got on the scoresheet.
Al Hilal finished second in their group behind Real Madrid despite winning just one of their three group ties. They drew with Los Blancos and RB Salzburg before beating Pachuca 2-0.
Their squad features a crop of former Premier League players, including Kalidou Koulibaly and Aleksandar Mitrovic, who will hope to benefit from their previous meetings with City as they look to pull off a shock upset.
Man City vs Al Hilal is scheduled for a 2am BST kick-off on Tuesday, July 1, 2025.
The match will take place at Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Florida.
TV channel: UK viewers can watch the game live free-to-air on Channel 5, with coverage beginning at 1am BST.
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Live stream: Viewers can watch the action live online via the DAZN website, which is free with a registration. Kick-off is at 2am BST.
DAZN is the global broadcaster of the new-look Club World Cup and will show all 63 matches of the competition.
No subscription is required to watch the game, with the entire tournament available to their ‘Freemium’ members, which means you only need to sign up for a free DAZN account.
Man City will be without the injured Claudio Echeverri in this tie as he picked up an ankle injury after scoring his first goal for the club against Al Ain.
Guardiola said he would be out for two to three weeks: “I feel so sorry for him. We will play new players and in the next game too, and in the second half. In these conditions, we are not ready to play 90 minutes and at half-time, we will make substitutions.”
With Inter Milan the most likely quarter-final opponents for City, Guardiola may again name a rotated side to face Al Hilal, who should not impede the eight-time Premier League champions too much.
Rodri will not be likely to start as Guardiola continues to manage his minutes following an ACL injury sustained last season. He played 65 minutes against Juventus, his fist start since September 2024.
Haaland could be in line to start after missing out against Juventus, so too could Phil Foden. Rayan Cherki impressed in a brief cameo off the bench last time out, and could have earned a spot in the XI.
Rico Lewis remains suspended after he was sent off against Wydad AC.
Few Al Hilal players, staff members, or supporters will be expecting a win in Orlando. After City’s rip-roaring dismantling of Juventus last time out, the Saudi outfit cannot be fancying their chances.
Likewise, City will be high on confidence. They laughed and grinned their way through the Juventus meeting, and barely looked to be breaking a sweat as they tore one of Europe’s top sides apart.
While Al Hilal scraped a draw against Real Madrid, Guardiola will not be worried. Only one outcome will be acceptable.
Man City to win, 4-1
This will be the first competitive meeting between Man City and Al Hilal.
Man City to win: 1/4
Al Hilal to win: 7/1
Draw: 7/2
Odds via Betfair (subject to change).
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