The Club World Cup round of 16 continues on Monday in Orlando, where Manchester City face Al-Hilal for a spot in the last eight.
City enter this matchup as the heavy favorites, especially so after topping Group G with three wins out of three. They outscored the opposition 13 to two along the way, a lopsided 5-2 win over Juventus among the highlights. Monday’s knockout stage match will not be their first against Asian opposition at this competition – they beat the United Arab Emirates’ Al Ain 6-0 during the group stage.
Saudi Arabia’s Al-Hilal, meanwhile, reach the round of 16 as one of three teams from outside Europe and South America in the knockouts, and as the only Asian side. Though their lone win in Group H was a 2-0 triumph against Mexico’s Pachuca, their draws against RB Salzburg and, more surprisingly, Real Madrid, lifted them to the knockouts. Though they make take inspiration from the 1-1 result with Real Madrid, matching up against Pep Guardiola’s in-form City feels like another task entirely.
Here’s what you need to know before tuning in.
How to watch Manchester City vs. Al-Hilal, odds
- Date: Monday, June 30 | Time: 9 p.m. ET
- Location: Camping World Stadium — Orlando, Florida
- TV: TBS | Live stream: Watch on DAZN (for free)
- Odds: Manchester City -370; Draw +480; Al-Hilal +750
Last meeting
Monday’s match will be the first competitive meeting between Manchester City and Al-Hilal but the two sides previously met in a preseason friendly in Innsbruck, Austria in July 2012. Al-Hilal won the match 1-0 as then-City manager Roberto Mancini rotated through his options considering it was at an early stage of their preparations for the 2012-13 season.
Predicted lineups
Manchester City: Ederson, Matheus Nunes, Ruben Dias, Manuel Akanji, Rayan Ait-Nouri, Bernardo Silva, Rodri, Tijjani Reijnders, Savinho, Jeremy Doku, Erling Haaland
Al-Hilal: Yassine Bounou, Joao Cancelo, Hassan Al-Tombakti, Kalidou Koulibaly, Renan Lodi, Ruben Neves, Nasser Al-Dawsari, Malcom, Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, Salem Aldawsari, Marcos Leonardo
Player to watch
Rodri, Manchester City: Pep Guardiola’s side may be stacked with new players after their splashes in the winter transfer window and the mini market before the Club World Cup, but no one is a sight for a City fan’s sore eyes the way Rodri is. The Ballon d’Or winner made his first start since September on Thursday, the ACL injury that doomed their season now in the past. He settled back in well during City’s 5-2 win over Juventus and Monday’s match against Al-Hilal offers another opportunity to do the same, especially so with whichever mix of attacking talent Guardiola chooses to line up in front of him. He will already have muscle memory to rely on with Erling Haaland, but Tijjani Reijnders and Rayan Cherki are among the newcomers who Rodri may have to share the pitch with on Monday, which could create some exciting plays that will start with the impressive, forward-thinking approach the midfielder is well known for.
Storyline to watch
Are Manchester City the team to beat?: It was hard to know which version of City would show up to the Club World Cup, not only on the back of a trophyless domestic and continental campaign but after the fatigue-inducing schedule along the way. Three games into the competition, though, it is clear that City found a way to refresh in between their Premier League finale on May 25 and their Club World Cup opener on June 18. They were the only team to win all three group stage matches and with 13 goals, they were the highest-scoring team during that phase of the competition. Combined with the fact that Guardiola has so many players at his disposal, using the Club World Cup to hard launch a necessary rebuild, momentum has swung almost fully in their favor. Monday’s match against Al-Hilal will probably only add to that feeling, their credentials to go all the way unlikely to be tested until later in the competition.
Prediction
Manchester City will benefit from the historic advantage European teams have over their Asian counterparts, but their current form means most teams will find them hard to beat. No matter the team selection from Guardiola, expect City to get the job done with relative ease and book their spot in the last eight. Pick: Manchester City 3, Al-Hilal 0
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