Juventus and Manchester City are set to battle it out in their last Group G fixture at the FIFA Club World Cup.
The encounter will hold at Camping World Stadium in Orlando on Thursday (today).
The two European teams have already advanced into the Round of 16 of the revamped competition, but will seeking to top the group.
Juventus currently have the advantage as they lead the group on goals scored with nine compared to City’s eight.
Team Form And Recent Performances
The Old Lady have been in scintillating form in the United States of America having recorded huge victories against Al-Ain and the 2022 CAF Champions League winners, Wydad Casablanca – 5-0 and 4-1 respectively.
Turkey international, Kenan Yildiz has arguably been the Biaconeri’s best player in this tournament having scored three goals in two matches.
The Serie A giants have lost just one game since Igor Tudor took over from Thiago Motta as head coach. The former Italy international has overseen seven victories and three draws.
Man City’s Club World Cup campaign started with a 2-0 win against Wydad before taking Al-Ain to the cleaners with a comprehensive 6-0 victory in their second match in Atlanta on Monday.
Ilkay Gundogan currently leads the charge for Pep Guardiola’s side as his brace in the thrashing of the United Arab Emirates outfit put him on top of the goal scoring chart for the Manchester club in this competition.
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The Citizens will now be aiming for a win in order to claim the top spot ,and subsequently avoid a matchup with Real Madrid, who they have faced in the Champions League in the last four seasons.
Coming into this encounter, City have lost just one – the FA Cup final defeat to Crystal Palace – of their last 15 matches across all competitions.
Head-To-Head
Juventus currently reign supreme as far as the head to head stats are concerned.
The two teams have met seven times with the Italian giants winning four, including a 2-0 Champions League triumph in December 2024.
City have just one win against the two-time Champions League winners which was in 1976 in the UEFA Cup (1-0).
Team News
Juventus quartet Mattia Perin, Juan Cabal, Bremer and Arkadiusz Milik are all unavailable for selection at the Club World Cup as they continue to recover from injury.
Manuel Locatelli is back in contention after his recovery from an ankle problem. However, Tudor may be willing to start him from the bench after seeing Weston McKennie and Khephren Thuram impress in midfield against Wydad.
For Man City, Rico Lewis is expected to miss this clash due to suspension. The 20-year-old England international was given a two-match ban for his contentious red card in their opener against Wydad.
Claudio Echeverri is doubtful after coming off at half time against Al-Ain with a twisted ankle. Rodri could be back in the starting line-up for the first time in nine months after recovering from an ACL injury he sustained in City’s 2-2 draw against Arsenal last September.
Summer acquisitions, Tijjani Reijnders, Rayan Ait-Nouri and Rayan Cherki are all in contention to start, while Ederson, Ruben Dias, Phil Foden, Savinho and Omar Marmoush are among those aiming for a start after being introduced as substitutes last time out.
By Habeeb Kuranga
