🔊 Can the Saudi Arabian giants put up a fight against one of the world's top clubs? Al-Hilal have demonstrated their formidable strength in the group stage of the Club World Cup, even without their full-strength squad. Meanwhile, Manchester City are beginning to look like their old selves again. Their depth is impressive, especially as their style evolves following a series of acquisitions. This makes the English side the favorites. However, we'll explore various scenarios to make an insightful prediction. It's worth noting that the match will take place in Orlando at the Camping World Stadium. The winner of this clash will face either Inter or Fluminense in the quarter-finals.

Head-to-Head

📊 The opponents have not faced each other before.

Manchester City Team Overview

⚪ Manchester City finished third in the Premier League, which can be seen as a success given how the season unfolded. However, the club ended without any major trophies, aside from the Community Shield that kicked off the season. This has prompted Pep Guardiola to rethink his football philosophy, leading to a series of transfers involving players not typical for the Spaniard, as well as changes to the coaching staff.

🔗 Manchester City are competing in the Club World Cup with two different squads. Only a handful of players have featured in every match, and none have started more than twice. Pep Guardiola is carefully managing the workload to prevent injuries and remain competitive for the trophy. Moreover, City were placed in an easy group that allowed for such experimentation. In the first two rounds, they comfortably defeated Wydad (2-0) and Al Ain (6-0) without conceding a goal. Juventus was expected to be their toughest test, but they fielded a weakened side in the battle for first place in the group. As a result, Manchester City's 5-2 victory was easier than anticipated.

🔝 One of Manchester City's key players is Phil Foden. He is arguably the only academy graduate to have secured a regular spot under Guardiola. This season hasn't been as successful for the Englishman as the last. To put it into perspective, he has only seven goals in the Premier League compared to 19 last season. In the Club World Cup, Foden serves as something of a wildcard for Guardiola. For instance, he scored just two minutes into the match against Wydad and found the net three minutes after coming on as a substitute against Juventus.

Al Hilal Riyadh Team Overview

🔵 Al-Hilal have clinched six Saudi Pro League titles in the past nine years, so finishing second in the recently concluded season was a disappointment. Following their exit from the AFC Champions League, Jorge Jesus was dismissed. Simone Inzaghi, who left Inter right after the UEFA Champions League final, has taken over the reins.

⚪ While Al-Hilal were the top-scoring team in the domestic league, their goal tally at the Club World Cup hasn't been as impressive. However, the Saudis have clearly improved defensively, conceding only to Real Madrid (1-1). Al-Hilal were close to their first defeat under Inzaghi, but a last-minute penalty miss by Madrid spared them. Since then, the "Blues" held Salzburg to a goalless draw (0-0) and secured a 2-0 victory over Pachuca in their final group H match, clinching second place.

🔝 Captain Salem Al-Dawsari is an Al-Hilal legend, having spent virtually his entire career with the club. In 2018, the left winger went on loan to Villarreal, but made just one appearance. Despite being 33, this season has been his most successful. In the domestic league, Al-Dawsari scored 15 goals and provided as many assists. He also made his mark at the Club World Cup by opening the scoring against Pachuca.

Latest news

Manchester City

🎙 Manchester City captain Bernardo Silva shared his thoughts on the victory over Juventus: “I think we're very pleased with our performance today. We managed to control the game and maintain possession against a top-tier team. Aside from a few minor errors, this might be our best match in the tournament so far. Finishing at the top of our group and advancing to the playoffs is something we're thrilled about.”

❗ In the match against Juventus, Erling Haaland scored his 300th career goal. It took him just 370 matches to reach this milestone, quicker than Cristiano Ronaldo (554 matches), Lionel Messi (418 matches), and Kylian Mbappe (409 matches).

💸 Manchester City emerged as the only team in the Club World Cup group stage to secure nine points. This achievement earned them a tournament-high $51.7 million.

❌ Mateo Kovacic is missing the current tournament due to injury. Also sidelined is Claudio Echeverri, who was injured after playing just one match against Al-Ain. Meanwhile, Rico Lewis continues to serve a suspension following his red card in the opening match against Wydad.

Al Hilal Riyadh

🎙 Al-Hilal defender Kalidou Koulibaly believes his team has a shot against Manchester City: “It’s going to be a really tough match. We all know Manchester City are one of the best teams in the world. But we must also remember how we fought hard against Real Madrid in the first game and performed well. If we prepare properly, we have a chance to win because we have some truly talented players.”

📝 Negotiations for the transfer of Theo Hernandez (Milan) are nearing completion. Al-Hilal are expected to pay around 30 million euros for the French international.

💸 Al-Hilal are looking to make an offer to Lionel Messi. The club president has flown to the USA and plans to meet with Jorge Messi – the father and agent of the 38-year-old footballer.

❌ Aleksandar Mitrovic, Al-Hilal's top scorer, missed the group stage due to a muscle injury. It’s unlikely he will feature in the match against Manchester City.

🟨 Yellow Card Prediction

🟨 Yellow Card Prediction

In the Club World Cup, Al-Hilal have the edge when it comes to yellow cards, averaging 1.7 compared to Manchester's 0.3. Notably, Manchester have received only one caution during the group stage, in their match against Al-Ain. In this scenario, betting on Al-Hilal to win the yellow card battle seems justified.

⚽️ Goal Prediction

Manchester City emerged as the highest-scoring team in the group stage with 13 goals. They even dismantled Juventus's usually solid defense by netting five times. On the other side, Al-Hilal are the top scorers in the Saudi Arabian Premier League, finding the net in 16 of their last 17 matches. This sets up a potential bet on both teams to score (yes).

🚩 Corner Prediction

In the current tournament, Manchester City hold an advantage in corners, averaging 8 compared to Al-Hilal's 6.7. Matches involving City see an average of 10 corners, while Al-Hilal's games feature even more at 11.3. Both teams enter this match trending high in this category, making a bet on total corners over 9.5 a strong possibility.

Under Simone Inzaghi, Al-Hilal have been less focused on attack, yet they consistently register at least 1.28 in expected goals throughout this tournament. Manchester City's defense isn't exactly rock-solid, as opponents have created dangerous chances in every match so far. However, City's attacking prowess suggests they should advance to the quarter-finals with relative ease. Guardiola has employed extensive squad rotation during the tournament, while Inzaghi has stuck with the same lineup, which could impact the latter stages of a grueling season. Given these factors, we predict a potential scoreline of 3-1.

This clash could be the highest-scoring encounter of the round of 16, largely due to the "Citizens," who average 4.3 goals per game in the tournament. Al-Hilal, with their talented roster, are also capable of finding the net. Therefore, our key bet is on total goals over 3.