The Manchester City logo is seen inside the stadium prior to the FIFA Club World Cup Saudi Arabia 2023 Semi-Final match between Urawa Reds and Manchester City
Manchester City are one of two Premier League representatives in the Club World Cup
Manchester City begin their Club World Cup campaign against Wydad tonight.
Pep Guardiola and his squad will be heavy favourites to kick off with three points and move into the knockout stage with matches against Al-Ain and Juventus to come.
The jury is still out on the tournament amid the controversial expansion to 32 teams. City are the defending champions, even if the competition they won in 2023 bares little resemblance to what they will encounter over the coming weeks.
There will new signings to keep tabs on, old favourites aiming to recapture past glories and a City squad keen to go all the way while avoiding injuries. Here our City writers look ahead to what's to come in America.
Simon Bajkowski
What City will want from the tournament will depend on who you ask. From a financial perspective, as much money as possible plus the avoidance of any of the crowds that Chelsea suffered for their first match.
There was always going to be at least one game where it looks like there's nobody there, but you just don't want it to be you. City have put a lot of effort into growing their US fanbase with plenty of pre-season tours over there in recent years, so will want to see decent crowds wherever they go.
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The FIFA Club World Cup will see 32 of the world's best club teams including Man City, Chelsea, Real Madrid, PSG and Bayern Munich play across 63 games from June 14-July 13.
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Pep Guardiola will ask simply for no injuries, although signs of a new squad gelling will be a bonus. Fans are understandably excited after the first transfer window of the summer and Rayan Cherki in particular is one that could inspire a lot of Blues to get a new shirt with his name on the back.
Omar Marmoush and Nico Gonzalez were January buys but are expected to be a big part of the first team going forward, and Gonzalez could get to build up his relationship with Rodri as the Spaniard builds towards match sharpness.
There are also hopes for a couple of comebacks. Everyone would be delighted to see the return of Phil Foden's spark after a difficult year for him, and Rico Lewis could also make a case to be the starting right-back again with a good tournament.
Last, and probably least, it would be funny to see Guardiola ignore all of his new boys and pick Ilkay Gundogan and Bernardo Silva in every line-up. Those two have been unfairly maligned after being dealt a really rough hand last season, but face even more competition for places from Cherki and Tijjani Reijnders.
Tyrone Marshall
This isn’t a great way to start a Club World Cup preview piece, but I think judgments can only be made at the end of the tournament. In fact, maybe they can only be delivered in October or November, when we see the true knock-on effect for City and Chelsea.
The closer the tournament has got, the more intrigued I have become by it, but it’s still a step into the unknown. City don’t really have a truly exciting fixture, against one of the big Brazilian sides or Boca Juniors, and the attendance at the Chelsea game on Monday was a concern. But it’s going to be fascinating to see how it pans out and for Guardiola, it’s a great chance to integrate his new signings.
But the tournament has a different flow from pre-season. After this little mini camp in Boca Raton, there is little training time, and City don’t know if they will be here for three or four games or seven. That will alter plans for the build-up to the Premier League season. It is guesswork as to how the tournament will affect players come August, as there is no previous data to work from.
The potential benefits are clear as well, however. It is a chance for new signings to get up to speed and for confidence to be built after a difficult 2024/25. Go deep in this tournament and will give City a real boost heading into the new campaign. Win it and they should be flying come August, as long as they can sustain it.
That will be the target and it would be a huge financial boost as well. Close to £100million is on offer to the winners and that would essentially cover the transfer outlay so far. It’s a tournament you can’t really say no to, but it’s a step into the unknown.