Man City - Al Hilal (end of first half) 1-0: Bernardo Silva opened the score, Al Hilal had no shot yet

Man City - Ảnh 1. — Haaland (left) dribbles past an Al Hilal player - Photo: Reuters

Although the 2024-2025 season didn't achieve the high results expected, Man City is still giving their all at the FIFA Club World Cup 2025.

In the group stage, Man City scored 13 goals, more than any other team, had the most shots (60 shots) and the highest total expected goals (9.9).

Manager Pep Guardiola boasts a perfect record at the FIFA Club World Cup. Man City is the only team to have won all three group stage matches. Their most recent victory was a dominant 5-2 win against Juventus, securing their place in the last 16 as winners of Group G.

Rodri's return after a long knee injury layoff was good news for Man City in the league. The Spanish midfielder played 125 of the 270 minutes and helped Man City look much better when he was on the pitch. He made more passes that broke down opposing defenses (25 passes), more than any other Man City player in the competition.

Meanwhile, Al Hilal advanced to the knockout stage under new coach Simone Inzaghi, proving themselves to be a difficult team to beat in a tough group that included Real Madrid and Salzburg.

Al Hilal secured their place in the next round with a 2-0 victory over Pachuca, thanks to goals from Salem Al Dawsari and Marcos Leonardo. Al Dawsari has scored 27 goals in all competitions since the start of the 2024-2025 season, while Marcos Leonardo has 26. This duo will continue to be a threat to Man City.

In terms of defense, Al Hilal boasts an experienced backline with players like Joao Cancelo, Kalidou Koulibaly, and Renan Lodi. In Cancelo's case, he will be facing his former club, Manchester City, whom he left under somewhat bitter circumstances in January 2023. Therefore, Cancelo is eager to win against his old club.