Manchester City vs Wydad AC Prediction, Preview, Predicted Lineups and Team News | Club World Cup

Manchester City vs Wydad AC Preview

• Tournament: FIFA Club World Cup
• Date: Wednesday, 18 June 2025
• Kick-Off Time: 16:00 PM GMT
• Venue: Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia

Manchester City look to get their 2025 FIFA Club World Cup campaign off to a dominant start when they face off against Moroccan heavyweights Wydad AC in what should be an entertaining clash on Wednesday, June 18. The Manchester City vs Wydad AC clash will take place at the Lincoln Financial Field at 16:00 PM GMT.

Manchester City have qualified for the FIFA Club World Cup 2025 thanks to their 2023 UEFA Champions League title win. They are heading into the match after finishing in third place in the 2024/25 Premier League campaign, but have only three wins from their last five competitive matches moving into this one.

Pep Guardiola is determined to get some major silverware for his side and will charge them up to produce a compelling, controlling display against Wydad. He will, of course, want them to maintain a sturdy defensive shape, but will urge his players to play some crisp attacking football and be clinical in the final third in putting chances away and sealing a big win.

Wydad AC are able to play in the 2025 Club World Cup because they won the 2021/22 CAF Champions League title. The Moroccan side also finished in third place in their 2024/25 Botola Pro Inwi (Moroccan top tier) and heads into this match with three wins in their last five matches as well.

Wydad's head coach, Mohamed Amine Benhachem, will need to shape up his side to maintain a very sturdy defensive line to frustrate the Cityzens in the upcoming game. He will need his players to keep a very compact, rigid defensive shape to neutralize Manchester City's threat and must also be clinical on the counter-attacks to spring a surprise.

Manchester City Team News

Pep Guardiola will be missing Mateo Kovacic in this tournament as he recovers from a knee injury. The Cityzens' newest signings, Tijani Reijnders, Rayan Cherki, Rayan Ait-Nouri, and Marcus Bettinelli, have all been included in the squad. Jack Grealish and Kyle Walker have been omitted.

Wydad AC Team News

Mohamed Benchachem is going to miss Brazilian forward Renan's services, as he is out with a knee injury. Wydad have made a string of new signings for the tournament, with new arrivals Nordin Amrabat, Hamza Hannouri, Omar Al Somah, and Guilherme Ferreira set to debut in the tournament.

Manchester City vs Wydad AC Predicted Lineups

Manchester City Predicted Lineup (4-3-3):

Goalkeeper: Stefan Ortega

Defenders: Rico Lewis, Manuel Akanji, Nathan Ake, Rayan Ait-Nouri

Midfielders: Rodri, Ilkay Gundogan, Bernardo Silva

Forwards: Savinho, Omar Marmoush, Erling Haaland

Wydad AC Predicted Lineup (4-2-3-1):

Goalkeeper: El Mehdi Benabid

Defenders: Fahad Moufi, Bart Meijers, Guilherme Ferreira, Ayoub Boucheta

Midfielders: El Mehdi El Moubarik, Oussama Zemraoui, Stephane Aziz KI

Forwards: Nordin Amrabat, Thembinkosi Lorch, Omar Al Somah

Manchester City vs Wydad AC Head-to-Head Record

This will be the first time that Manchester City and Wydad AC will be playing each other. They have never faced each other in any competition or friendly match in the past. The Cityzens defeated Fulham in their last match, while Wydad lost a recent friendly against FC Porto.

Key Players to Watch in Manchester City vs Wydad AC

Erling Haaland (Manchester City)

Erling Haaland enjoyed a pretty prolific 2024/25 Premier League campaign with Manchester City, scoring 22 goals and slightly underperforming his 22.01 xG (expected goals) despite his injury issues. He remains a dynamic goal machine for Guardiola's side and will look to push for the Club World Cup golden boot.

He will be looking to torment the Wydad defenders with his clever movement and physicality, but he has to be at his ruthless best in terms of putting away chances to help his side get a dominant win.

Nordin Amrabat (Wydad AC)

Nordin Amrabat was signed by Wydad to bolster their frontline for the Club World Cup and will have a lot of responsibilities on his shoulders. He played for Hull City in the second half of the 2024/25 season, providing one assist in 10 games by outperforming his 0.48 xA (expected assists).

The 38-year-old must use his experience and expertise to torment the Manchester City defenders and derail their defensive shape. He'll need to be accurate with his final passes and take up any chances at disposal to help Wydad stun the Cityzens.

Manchester City vs Wydad AC Prediction

Manchester City might be the overwhelming favorites to win this one, but they will have to work hard and cannot take Wydad's threat lightly. This should be a pretty back-and-forth clash with Guardiola's side dominating most of the possession.

Wydad should be able to put in a valiant fight to make things as hard as possible for Manchester City. However, the sheer strength of the Cityzens' frontline should be the deciding factor in helping them get a big win.

Predicted Score: Manchester City 3-1 Wydad AC

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