Man City v Wydad: Line-ups, stats and preview

Man City v Wydad match preview

Manchester City will become the second Premier League club to start their 2025 Club World Cup campaign when they face 22-time Moroccan champions Wydad Casablanca on Wednesday.

After Chelsea beat Los Angeles FC 2-0 on Monday, the Cityzens will hope to start in similarly dominant fashion against opponents ranked 379 places below them in statistics experts Opta’s club rankings.

“We’ll go to the USA for the win because this cup is every four years,” new City signing Rayan Cherki said before the squad left for the tournament.

“I want the club to win it because it’s the first time it will be played in history [as a 32-team competition].”

City will play one more game during the group stage than they did across the Club World Cup when they triumphed in 2023, beating Urawa Red Diamonds and Fluminese in Saudi Arabia.

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Formed in 1937, Wydad became African champions for the third time in 2022 and finished third in Morocco last season, 16 points behind champions Berkane.

“I hope we can surprise our opponents”, said defender Guilherme Ferreira, who has joined Wydad on loan from Portuguese club Felgueiras for the Club World Cup.

“[We want to] make the most of this opportunity, to give our lives for the club. If I could say one word, it would be surprise, because I am sure we have the ability to surprise.

“Without a doubt, City are one of the best teams in the world. That’s it – it’s undeniable. But we know football and we have the conditions to compete in the games and make our strengths count.

“It is [about playing] with strength, will, determination and focus and to give our best. In football, anything can happen.”

Manchester City v Wydad team news

Cherki and fellow midfield arrival Tijjani Reijnders could make their first City appearances, as could left-back Rayan Ait-Nouri and goalkeeper Marcus Bettinelli.

England full-back Kyle Walker, who was loaned to Milan last season, is not part of their squad, while Three Lions playmaker Jack Grealish was the most high-profile player to be excluded from the travelling party.

Centre-back John Stones and Ballon d’Or-winning midfielder Rodri could return from long-term injuries in City’s first match since securing Champions League qualification by winning at Fulham in the Premier League on May 25.

Wydad left-back Ayoub Boucheta has a leg injury but could be fit for Wydad’s match against Juventus on Sunday (17:00 BST).

New head coach Mohamed Amine Benhachem has five new signings available: centre-back Bart Meijers, Burkina Faso midfielder Stephane Aziz Ki, former Morocco winger Nordin Amrabat, forward Hamza Hannouri and Omar Al-Somah, who has been prolific for Syria since 2012.

Manchester City v Wydad expected line-ups

Manchester City starting XI: Ortega; Lewis, Reis, Ake, O’Reilly; Gundogan, Bernardo Silva, Gonzalez, Bobb; Echeverri, Haaland

Wydad Casablanca starting XI: El Motie; Amrabat, Boutouil, Meijers, Harkass, Ferreira; Aziz Ki, El Moubarik, Zemraoui; Hannouri, Al-Somah

How to watch Man City v Wydad: Live stream, TV channel

Channel 5 will also be showing games for free. John Obi Mikel, Sami Khedira, Ronaldo, Christian Vieri, Shay Given, Callum Wilson, Andros Townsend, Ade Oladipo, Kelly Somers and Fabrizio Romano are among the pundits and presenters.

The co-commentators are Andros Townsend, Michael Brown, Brad Friedel, Rob Green, Danny Higginbotham, Don Hutchison, Jonas Olsson and Anita Asante.

A highlights and analysis show, The Press, will be presented by James Alcott and Julien Laurens and analyse each day’s games on 5’s streaming service.

Man City v Wydad stats

Man City v Wydad prediction

City can be expected to record an opening 3-0 win against a side featuring numerous players still familiarising themselves with their teammates.

Man City Fifa Club World Cup 2025 fixtures, schedule, results

City are in Group G with Moroccan team Wydad, UAE Pro League side Al-Ain and Italian big-hitters Juventus. Here’s when and where they play each of their initial rivals.

Wednesday, June 18

City vs Wydad (Philadelphia, 17:00)

Monday, June 23

City vs Al-Ain (Atlanta, 02:00)

Thursday, June 26

Juventus vs City (Orlando, 20:00)

Man City Club World Cup knockout stage path

City will be eliminated if they finish outside of the top two in their group. Otherwise, they will advance to a last-16 match against a team from Group H, which contains Real Madrid, Al-Hilal, Salzburg and Pachuca.

Otherwise, they will advance to a last-16 match against a team from Group G, which contains Juventus, Wydad, Manchester City and Al-Ain.

That game will take place on Tuesday, July 1 and be in Orlando at 02:00 if they are winners or Miami at 20:00 if they are runners-up.

Should they reach the quarter-finals, City will face a team from Group E – Urawa Red Diamonds, Monterrey, Inter Milan or River Plate – or Group F, which features Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns and Fluminense.

That game will take place in Orlando on Friday, July 4 at 20:00 if they are winners or New Jersey on Saturday, July 5 at 21:00 if they are runners-up in their group.

Their semi-final will be in New Jersey, taking place at 20:00 on Tuesday, July 8 if they are winners or at the same time on Wednesday, July 9 if they are runners-up in their group.

The final is also in New Jersey at 20:00 on Sunday, July 13.

Manchester City Club World Cup squad

Goalkeepers: Marcus Bettinelli, Stefan Ortega Moreno, Ederson

Defenders: Ruben Dias, John Stones, Nathan Ake, Rayan Ait-Nouri, Vitor Reis, Josko Gvardiol, Manuel Akanji, Abdukodir Khusanov

Midfielders: Nico O’Reilly, Tijjani Reijnders, Jeremy Doku, Nico Gonzalez, Rodri, Ilkay Gundogan, Bernardo Silva, Savinho, Matheus Nunes, Rayan Cherki, Claudio Echeverri, Phil Foden, Oscar Bobb, Rico Lewis

Forwards: Erling Haaland, Omar Marmoush

Man City at the Club World Cup: Live stream, TV channel in UK

Live coverage of 40 of the matches is on DAZN, with 23 on Channel 5. DAZN Subscribers or Freemium member can tune in as part of their existing membership, while non-subscribers can register for a free account to start watching.

Fans can watch on the go via the DAZN App on smart TVs, phones, tablets, games consoles and streaming devices.

Club World Cup 2025: Which Man City games are on Channel 5?

Here’s the full list of confirmed and potential City games being shown on 5.

June 18

Man City vs Wydad

June 23

Man City vs Al-Ain

June 29

Two round of 16 ties

June 30

Two round of 16 ties

July 4

One quarter-final tie

July 5

One quarter-final tie

July 9

One semi-final tie

July 13

Final