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Juventus vs Manchester City: Club World Cup Preview
Juventus and Manchester City meet on Thursday at the Camping World Stadium in Orlando for their final Group G fixture at the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup, with top spot in the group up for grabs. Both sides have already secured progression to the last 16 after comfortable victories in their opening two matches, but Juventus hold the edge on goal difference heading into this clash.
by Berba
The Italian side arrived in the United States looking to put a frustrating domestic season behind them, where they managed just a top-four Serie A finish after drawing more matches than any other side. So far, they’ve responded impressively. Juventus opened their Club World Cup campaign with a 5-0 win over Al-Ain before following it up with a 4-1 win against Wydad AC in Philadelphia. Turkish youngster Kenan Yildiz has been one of the tournament’s standout performers, adding a brace against Wydad to his opener on matchday one, and continues to be a focal point in Igor Tudor’s attacking setup.
Juventus enter this match on a seven-game unbeaten run across all competitions (five wins, two draws) and have also won their last three head-to-head meetings with City, including a 2-0 win in the Champions League late last year. A draw would be enough for them to top the group.
Manchester City, meanwhile, cruised past Wydad 2-0 in their tournament opener before dismantling Al-Ain 6-0 in Atlanta, with Ilkay Gundogan scoring twice and four others getting on the scoresheet. City are yet to concede in the competition and have shown their attacking depth and quality, but Pep Guardiola’s side now face a sterner test in a Juventus team that has historically posed them problems. The only win for the Citizens in seven previous meetings with Juve came back in 1976.
City have lost just once in their last 15 matches across all competitions—the FA Cup final against Crystal Palace—and enter this fixture on a strong run of form. However, to finish top of the group and avoid a possible last-16 encounter with Real Madrid, they must win this match.
In terms of team news, Juventus remain without Mattia Perin (hand), Juan Cabal and Bremer (both knee), and Arkadiusz Milik (muscle). Manuel Locatelli returned from an ankle issue to feature off the bench last time out and could start, though Tudor may choose to stick with Weston McKennie and Khephren Thuram in midfield. The in-form trio of Yildiz, Francisco Conceicao, and Randal Kolo Muani are expected to lead the line once again.
For City, Rico Lewis is suspended due to a two-match ban from his red card against Wydad. Claudio Echeverri is a doubt after picking up a knock, while Mateo Kovacic remains sidelined following Achilles surgery. Rodri, returning from an ACL injury, may be in line for a first start after two substitute appearances. Guardiola also has decisions to make over returning players such as Ederson, Ruben Dias, Phil Foden, Savinho, and Omar Marmoush, all of whom began the previous match on the bench.