Manchester City take on the visitors Wydad in the round 1 match of FIFA Club World Cup. The match will be played on Wednesday, June 18th at Lincoln Financial Field (Philadelphia, PA).
Manchester City suddenly found themselves needing to rebuild after a surprisingly turbulent 2024/25 campaign. Just two years removed from their historic treble in 2023, their performances became inconsistent, often underwhelming across competitions. Even with record-breaking January signings, they crashed out of the Champions League in the first knockout round — ironically, at the hands of an equally struggling Real Madrid. Domestically, they avoided total disaster by clinching 3rd place in the Premier League, a position they secured only on the final day of the season. However, they lost yet another FA Cup final, intensifying the call for changes. Guardiola and the City board wasted no time: with Kevin De Bruyne’s departure, they brought in Rayan Cherki and Tijjani Reijnders, and reinforced the defense with Rayan Aït-Nouri — all of whom could debut here.
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Wydad’s inclusion seems based more on past prestige. The Reds are Morocco’s most storied club, with 22 domestic titles and three CAF Champions League crowns, the latest coming in 2022. They even reached the final of the continental competition again the following year, solidifying their reputation. However, their domestic form has been disappointing — they slumped to 6th place last season, missing out on international qualification. The 2024/25 campaign saw only slight improvement, finishing 3rd but still 16 points adrift of champions FUS Rabat. To their credit, Wydad improved temporarily after an April coaching change. But their performances in recent friendlies — including clear defeats to Sevilla and Porto — suggest they’re out of their depth at this level.
This will be the first-ever meeting between Manchester City and Wydad. It’s hard to find any real argument in favor of the Moroccans avoiding defeat — even a draw seems out of reach. Expect Haaland and company to cruise to victory with at least a -2.5 goal handicap.
Prediction for the match: Manchester City to win with -2.5 handicap.
