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The National
23-06-2025
- Sport
- The National
Man City show gulf in quality as they hit Al Ain for six at Club World Cup
Few expected anything different. Even the lone, purple-clad Al Ain fan standing outside Atlanta's enormous Mercedes-Benz Stadium three hours before kick-off conceded his side would be quickly dismantled by Manchester City and that it was in fact the Garden City club's next match of this expanded Fifa Club World Cup where any joy this month will likely stem. After a humbling 5-0 defeat to Juventus, the prospect of facing Pep Guardiola's swashbuckling City unsurprisingly did not whet many Emirati appetites among the few who had made the trip across the Atlantic. Following that opening round loss to the Italians, Al Ain coach Vladimir Ivic had questioned whether his players watched European football. They certainly did a lot of watching against City: Guardiola's side enjoyed more than 75 per cent possession as they went one better than Juve to serve up a tennis score 6-0 in front of 40,392 fans. Yes, Al Ain created a couple of half chances, and, sure, players such as Nassim Chadli and Erik did their reputations no harm, but City, with all their financial might and global superstars, were never truly troubled. Such was the ease in which the Manchester giants cut through the opposition defence that Guardiola and his players discussed at half-time a need to score seven, enough to give them the outright lead over Juve in Group G. Coming up a goal short was arguably the only blotch on an otherwise perfect night for the City-supporting side of the UAE capital as Guardiola's team booked their place in the last 16. 'It felt at the end that we needed a seventh and we had set that as our target,' said Gundogan, who opened the scoring inside 10 minutes after collecting Bernardo Silva's corner, sending Egyptian defender Ramy Rabia for a cup of karak, and lifting the ball up over goalkeeper Khalid Essa and into an empty net. The embarrassed grin etched on the face of the German midfielder – linked this week to Galatasaray – suggested he was more intent on picking out Erling Haaland at the back post than opening the scoring himself. The contest, billed as an Abu Dhabi Derby, felt, in a football sense at least, more like an exhibition match than anything more meaningful. A Mexican wave on the half-hour confirmed as much. Argentine youngster Claudio Echeverri opened his account for City with a curling free-kick that not only sailed through a porous wall but also past a goalkeeper who watched as if he was unable to stop it rather than being the one man inside the stadium able to pluck it from the air had he moved a step to his left. The gulf in quality was clear, and aside from Al Ain's Moroccan midfielder Nassim Chadli, the Garden City club were, for large periods, chasing shadows like a team of vampires in the midday sun. On the stroke of half-time, Haaland added a third, sending Essa the wrong way from the spot after Rabia manhandled Manuel Akanji inside the area. Three goals from three shots on target. ' Manchester City is obviously a very strong team,' said Chadli. 'If you make one mistake, they hurt you, so we need to learn from this and refocus for the next match. In the counter-attack, you could see we had a lot of space, but then when they have the ball, it makes it very difficult. We are professional footballers though and we like to play this kind of game; before the match I was very excited. The ball moves so fast – it is crazy.' Despite City's desire to score seven – one for each of the Emirates? – they started the second period sluggish, and it took them until the 74th minute to add a fourth. Gundogan again latched on to a Silva pass and slipped the ball over the UAE keeper, before substitute Oscar Bobb added a fifth from distance and the impressive Rayan Cherki bagged his first since joining from Lyon. It was fitting that such a display of footballing excellence took place in Atlanta, the United States' own ambitious metropolis. While the UAE capital is building from the top down, Atlanta is building from the ground up, establishing itself as one of the premier soccer cities in the US, not just in terms of attendance, but also culture, community, and infrastructure. Its MLS franchise Atlanta United regularly plays to huge crowds in this $1.6 billion stadium that will next summer host seven World Cup matches – including a semi-final. They also enjoy local support that has suburban homes proudly flying the club's red-and-black striped flag alongside the omnipresent star-spangled banner. It feels real. Yet this match was about another city starting with A: One UAE city represented by two clubs across three continents. And given the financial differences between the two clubs – Ivic conceded pre-match that one City player costs the same as several of his own – there should be no real shame in Al Ain's struggles. Even if Brazilian midfielder Erik looked despondent as he addressed the media post-match. 'From my first day at this club, I have always dreamt big,' he said. 'Unfortunately, until now at this World Cup, what we have shown is not what we want the supporters to remember. Inshallah, we can be better in the last game.' Erik and Co face Wydad AC on Thursday in Washington DC intent on finishing their campaign on a high. Few in the Middle East have looked of late to Washington for hope and joy, but that is all that Al Ain can now do.
The National
22-06-2025
- Sport
- The National
Man City v Al Ain: Ivic says players in 'shock' after Juventus rout and doubts if they watch European football
Al Ain boss Vladimir Ivic admitted his side's 5-0 Fifa Club World Cup thrashing by Juventus had left his players in 'shock' and questioned whether all of them actually watch European football. The UAE club's campaign at the revamped 32-team tournament got off to the worst possible start when they were hammered by the Serie A giants in Washington last Wednesday. The Garden City club, who qualified as the 2023/24 AFC Champions League winners, were run ragged in the first half and reached the interval 4-0 down. Ivic said that Juventus' quality had surprised some of his players, and doubted whether every member of his squad had been fully aware of what they were up against. It doesn't get any easier for Al Ain, with a match against Premier League Manchester City next up on Sunday night (Monday 5am UAE) at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. Asked how his players had reacted to their opening defeat, Ivic said: 'It was a shock a little bit, because we believe we have a good squad, if we speak about our country. 'Some players [only] joined us a few weeks ago, and, of course, it is a totally different competition if we speak about our [domestic] competition and we speak about this World Cup competition. 'I believe that in this game it is not a question of if Juventus deserve victory – they were the better team, they scored five goals and could have scored one or two more. 'But they shoot five times, six times, at the goal in the first half and they score four. It is a little bit unlucky. If you remember how we concede the goals, the second, the third, the fourth was in the last second of the extra time. 'We had some chances, we create something … this plan we prepared for attack, it worked in some actions that we create, we could have scored two goals in this game. 'But it was a shock. [The players] didn't know exactly what level is Juventus, because of that, I say that I am not sure all of them are watching European football. We show them the opponent every time, we explain to them against who we play, this is normal in our job. 'But we go game by game, next game is tomorrow. We believe in ourselves. We will give our maximum to see where we are when we play against a team like City.' Premier League City, meanwhile, got their campaign off to a winning start with a routine 2-0 victory over Wydad Casablanca in their opening game. Another three points against Al Ain would secure their place in the last 16 and Ivic admits it will be a 'huge challenge' for his side to stall City's progress. He praised opposite number Pep Guardiola's impact on world football, describing him as the leading coach of the modern game. 'You said, 'one of the best', no, he is the best coach in the world because he showed this in the last 15 years,' said Ivic when asked about Guardiola. 'He is a guy who influenced a lot of the football, changed the football. It is a pleasure to play against the team he manages, but I am on the opposite side now, working with my players, with the people in the club, to try and get the best for my team. 'To speak about City, you don't need words to explain. In the last 10 years they win maybe six or seven Premier League titles. It is the best championship in the world. I don't need to speak a lot about them. Anyone who follows football, loves football, knows what Manchester City means today. 'Of course, when you play against the best [teams] you want to give the best of yourself. I am sure my players will give the maximum and try from the first to the last second of the game because it will be a huge challenge.' Guardiola to ring changes at City Meanwhile, Guardiola admitted on the eve of the game that City are looking to offload a number of fringe players. The Premier League side brought in several new recruits ahead of the Club World Cup, leaving Guardiola with a bloated squad. England stars Kyle Walker and Jack Grealish appear to be on their way out, while midfielder Ilkay Gundogan has been linked with a move to Turkish side Galatasaray. Guardiola said he did not know anything about that at his pre-match press conference, but said players would have to be sold following the purchases of Tijjani Reijnders, Rayan Cherki and Rayan Ait-Nouri. Guardiola has said in the past he prefers a squad size of around 20 senior players, whereas City have more than 30 at present. 'I will love to have the players we have right now all season,' Guardiola said. 'The problem is they will be unhappy during the season, they will be sad, they will be disappointed. 'I don't want that. I do it for them, not for me. For them. We have to see what happens, it's a long time until the transfer window will be closed, we have to see step by step.' The Catalan said defensive midfielder Rodri was not able to start against Al Ain as he continues his comeback from injury. 'He's getting better. He can play 20 minutes, 30 minutes at a time. He wants to play to help but we want to protect his knee,' he said. Guardiola previously said fans will see '10 new players' against Al Ain, meaning a likely debut for Ait-Nouri and a start for Erling Haaland.
Khaleej Times
22-06-2025
- Sport
- Khaleej Times
Club World Cup: Al Ain 'fully motivated' for big clash against Man City
Fourteen-time UAE champions Al Ain face a do-or-die Group G clash against Premier League giants Manchester City in the Fifa Club World Cup on Monday (UAE Time 5 am). Having lost their opening game on Thursday to Juventus 5-0, Al Ain need to earn at least a point against Pep Guardiola's team in Atlanta to keep their faint hopes alive of advancing to the knockout rounds. Defending champions City, on the other hand, got their campaign off to a great start with a comfortable 2-0 win over Moroccan club Wydad. On paper, there is no comparison between the two sides with the Abu Dhabi-owned Man City possessing some of the world's greatest footballers in their squad. Al Ain's Serbian head coach, Vladimir Ivic, is aware of the magnitude of the challenge his team faces to stay alive in the tournament following their disappointing performance against Juventus. 'We respected Juventus more than we needed to at the beginning, and that allowed them to score two or three goals quite easily — goals we could have avoided,' said Ivic. 'But this is a valuable lesson for us as we prepare to face Manchester City. 'Everyone knows the calibre of a club like City. Our players must be fully motivated, play at their best, and stay compact. 'We're at the Fifa Club World Cup, facing top-level teams. We expected tough matches from the start, and we know another big challenge awaits us against City.' Meanwhile, Guardiola is hoping to win a trophy after enduring a difficult season in which City finished third in the league and suffered a shock 1-0 defeat to Crystal Palace in the FA Cup final. However, the Spanish manager claims that his players are enjoying the expanded 32-team Club World Cup atmosphere in the United States. "It's a privilege to be here... to be back after four years you have to win big, big, prizes," said Guardiola. "I love when I see Botafogo, all the Brazilian teams, Argentinian teams, how they celebrate, how they are together, I love them," said Guardiola. "I'm pretty sure for the South American teams, for the Brazilian teams, for Argentinean teams, this competition is maybe the maximum... "I like how all the games are tight, except one or two, and people are surprised, European teams lose. Welcome to the real world. Welcome to the real world my friends." Al Ain, the 2024 Asian Champions League winners, are one of the four Asian clubs in the 2025 Fifa Club World Cup. The club from the Garden City of the UAE achieved their best result in the 2018 edition of the tournament when they finished runners-up to Real Madrid.
The Independent
20-06-2025
- Sport
- The Independent
Manchester City vs Al Ain prediction: Expect goals in Club World Cup clash in Atlanta
Manchester City vs Al Ain tips: Manchester City face UAE side Al Ain in the second of their Club World Cup matches in Atlanta in the early hours of Monday morning. Pep Guardiola's side sit joint top of the Group G table with Juventus after both sides won their opening games. City ran out 2-0 winners against Wydad Casablanca on Wednesday, with goals from Phil Foden and Jeremy Doku, before young defender Rico Lewis was sent off, so he will miss Monday's game through suspension. Juve ran out 5-0 winners against City's next opponents, in Washington, with Randal Kolo Muani and Francisco Conceição both scoring twice. The Italian side dominated all the statistics, with almost 64% of possession, more shots on target and more touches in the box, and we expect a similar pattern for City. Al Ain, managed by Vladimir Ivic, finished fifth in the Pro League, so it's easy to see why they were no match for Juventus. Since winning their second AFC Champions League title two seasons ago, they have struggled to rediscover that form, losing six and drawing the other two of their matches as they tried to defend their title, finishing bottom of the re-formatted league phase. Manchester City vs Al Ain prediction: City to shine in Atlanta After enduring their own difficult spell last season, City head into Monday's game winning eight of their last 10 matches, in all competitions, which helped them eventually finish third in the Premier League table. They have added several new signings to their squad since then, including Rayan Cherki and Tijjani Reijnders, who both made their debuts against Wydad. Midfielder Rodri made only his second appearance since September as he continues his recovery from a cruciate ligament injury, coming off the bench after an hour. Football betting sites are all backing City for the win at 1/14, while you can get 33/1 on an Al Ain win and 12/1 on a draw. The big question will be how many City can win by, and you can get 9/1 on them matching the 5-0 win secured by Juventus, but they would love to go one better to give themselves a chance of winning the group. Betting sites are offering 16/1 in the latest Club World Cup odds on a 6-0 win and it's not something you would rule out, especially as Erling Haaland hasn't found his stride just yet. However, we're going to cover the bases by taking over 5.5 goals in the match. Manchester City vs Al Ain prediction 1: Over 5.5 goals - 9/2 Bet365 Manchester City vs Al Ain betting: Fresh Foden in form Phil Foden scored one and provided an assist for the other on Wednesday and Guardiola will be hoping this is a sign of things to come from the England star. The 25-year-old has declared it is a 'new season, fresh me' after struggling for form for large parts of last season, which saw him score just 10 goals in 45 appearances for his boyhood club. This is a stark contrast to the previous season, when he netted 28 goals for club and country and City won the Premier League and England reached the final of the European Championships. We all know that when Foden does score, it usually sparks a goalscoring run. He broke a run of 20 games without a goal, last time out, but before that, he netted six goals in six games. Betting apps have him at 5/1 to score first or last and 6/5 to score at any time, and you can get 13/2 on him scoring two or more as he did against Brentford and Ipswich in consecutive matches earlier this season. Manchester City vs Al Ain prediction 2: Phil Foden to score at any time - 11/10 Bet365 Please gamble responsibly When having a bet, it's vital to practice responsible gambling. Betting can be addictive and it's important to stay in control of your betting. Never treat gambling as a way to make money, never bet more than you can afford and when the fun stops, stop. Gambling sites offer punters tools, like deposit limits, profit and loss trackers and self-exclusion options, to help them stay in control. But if you ever feel like you need help or advice on gambling addiction, don't hesitate to contact one of the charities or organisations below.
Sharjah 24
11-05-2025
- Sport
- Sharjah 24
APL round 24 focuses on AFC Champions League qualification
High stakes for AFC Champions League spots The 24th round, starting tomorrow and played over two days, will witness fierce clashes among top-ranking teams vying for spots in next season's AFC Champions League. Shabab Al Ahli has already secured both the league and cup titles, leaving second place as the key qualifying position. At the bottom of the table, teams are also battling to avoid relegation alongside Al Orouba, who are already confirmed to drop to the First Division. Sharjah vs. Al Ain: Key clash for second place The round kicks off with a top-tier clash between second-place Sharjah (45 points) and fifth-place Al Ain (37 points) at Sharjah Stadium. Sharjah, still recovering from their loss in the President's Cup final, aim to solidify their hold on second place and secure AFC qualification. Al Ain coach Vladimir Ivic commented, 'We are not satisfied with our points tally, but we will continue working until the end of the season.' Shabab Al Ahli host Al Nasr in a bid to finish strong On Tuesday, newly crowned champions Shabab Al Ahli will host sixth-placed Al Nasr at Al Maktoum Stadium. Following a loss to Al Wasl, coach Paulo Sousa stressed the importance of maintaining focus. 'We must continue fighting until the final whistle, regardless of winning titles,' Sousa said. 'I am proud of what we have achieved.' Al Wahda aim to solidify third against relegation-threatened Dibba Al Hisn Third-place Al Wahda (41 points) will take on 13th-place Dibba Al Hisn (16 points) at Saqr bin Mohammed Al Qasimi Stadium. Dibba Al Hisn are just one point above last place and desperately need a win to avoid relegation. Al Wasl face bottom-club Al Orouba Al Wasl, fourth in the standings with 40 points, will meet bottom-placed Al Orouba (10 points), who are already relegated, in what should be a crucial game for Al Wasl's top-four ambitions. Al Jazira seek late surge against Al Bataeh Seventh-placed Al Jazira (33 points) will face 12th-placed Al Bataeh (24 points) at Mohammed bin Zayed Stadium. Al Jazira are still eyeing a jump into fourth place and potential continental qualification. Bani Yas and Khorfakkan meet in mid-table clash Eleventh-placed Bani Yas (25 points) will host eighth-placed Khor Fakkan (32 points) in a relatively lower-stakes matchup on Monday, with both teams looking to end the season on a strong note. Ajman and Ittihad Kalba wrap up the round Rashid bin Saeed Stadium will host the final match of Round 24 on Tuesday, with tenth-placed Ajman (27 points) taking on ninth-placed Ittihad Kalba (28 points) in a close mid-table encounter.
