Manchester City vs Al-Hilal: Club World Cup Prediction (01.07.2025)

On July 1, 2025, at 08:00 WIB, a Round of 16 match in the Club World Cup will be held at Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Florida, USA, between Manchester City and Al-Hilal. Bookmakers have made the Citizens overwhelming favorites in this encounter. Let’s take a look at the current form of both teams and give our prediction for the match.

Manchester City

The Citizens are the only team to win all three of their group stage matches in the Club World Cup. They did so convincingly, as shown by their goal difference of 13 scored and only 2 conceded. Guardiola has realized that his old tactics no longer bring results, so he began seeking new ways to win. And it seems he has found them. Pep’s team is once again aggressive in attack, scoring plenty of goals while maintaining a compact defense. Wins over Wydad (2:0) and Al-Ain (6:0) were expected, but the 5:2 thrashing of Juventus was especially telling. It was the first time City had defeated the Turin side, and they did it in dominant fashion.

Al-Hilal

Al-Hilal had a much tougher journey. However, they are now managed by Simone Inzaghi, who has already proven his quality as a top coach in his first few matches. Although more modest compared to European clubs, Al-Hilal has shown confident performances and remains unbeaten in the tournament. Inzaghi hasn’t been able to use his preferred 3-4-3 system like he did with Inter, but he has found a good balance with a 4-1-2-3 formation. In their first match, Al-Hilal shocked many by drawing 1:1 with Real Madrid. That was followed by another draw against Salzburg (0:0). In the final group game, Inzaghi’s men convincingly beat Pachuca 2:0 and finished second in the group.

Stats and Head-to-Head Record

Interestingly, the two sides previously met in a friendly match back in 2012, where Al-Hilal won 1:0. However, Manchester City at the time was far from the powerhouse they are today, and friendly matches often produce unexpected results.

Prediction

For the Manchester City vs Al-Hilal match, we’re backing a win for the Citizens. Al-Hilal under Inzaghi has left a good impression, but the difference in player quality should make the difference in this matchup. Therefore, we suggest betting on Manchester City to win with a –1 handicap, with odds of 1.50.