manchester city have a must win game coming up in the club world cup they will face juventus on thursday night and it is a match that can change everything for pep guardiola and his team if city fail to win they will finish second in the group and that means they could meet real madrid in the last sixteen and that would be a nightmare
pep guardiola knows this is not the time to make mistakes he knows every lineup decision matters and now the biggest question is will rodri finally start the match after being out for so long the spanish midfielder has been slowly coming back from a serious acl injury he got injured in september and this will be his first chance to return fully he played 30 minutes in both of the last two group games he looked fit he looked sharp and now it looks like he will return to the starting lineup
rodri is not just any player he is the backbone of man city he is the one who brings balance control calm and confidence he is the one who sets the tempo when he is not playing city often struggle but with him on the pitch they look unstoppable the ball d’or winner could be the difference maker against juventus
other players are also likely to return to the starting team ruben dias was on the bench last game he should start now phil foden was rested too now he will return rayan cherki also pushing to start again after sitting out the 6-0 win over al-ain that was a massive game gundogan scored twice but with so many stars in the squad he might drop out this time that is how deep this man city team is full of options full of weapons
another big decision is in goal ederson is expected to come back in goal stefan ortega was solid but ederson is the first choice he brings experience he brings leadership he brings calm under pressure and city will need that against juventus
wide players like savinho and jeremy doku are also pushing for a place both are fast both are exciting both can break defences and cause chaos pep could use their speed to stretch juventus and open up space for haaland up front
rico lewis is back from suspension he got sent off in the first game against wydad ac now he is available again but matheus nunes has done well at right back and might keep his place that will be a tough decision for pep to make
city’s predicted lineup looks like this ederson in goal nunes at right back then akanji dias and gvardiol at the back in midfield you have reijnders and rodri then savinho cherki and foden behind haaland up top it is a strong team it is a team built to win it is a team with firepower everywhere
city cannot afford to play for a draw they must go for the win if they win they top the group if they top the group they avoid facing real madrid early that will give them more control over the knockout rounds everyone remembers the battles between city and madrid those games are always intense always full of drama city don’t want that pressure yet they want to face a lighter team in the last sixteen
this game against juventus is also a test for city’s hunger the club world cup is one of the few trophies they have not won it is not as famous as the champions league or the premier league but for city it is about legacy about history about becoming champions of the world about proving they are the best team on the planet
juventus are also hungry they want to beat city they want to show they are still one of the biggest clubs in europe they have talent they have pride they have nothing to lose so they will fight they will defend strong they will look for chances on the counter city must be ready city must be smart city must be focused
pep knows what is at stake he is not taking chances he is bringing his best players he is making the right choices this is the moment where legends rise where teams show their true strength city want to win this cup they want to dominate the world stage they want to make a statement
the game will be played at camping world stadium in orlando kickoff is 8pm bst on thursday fans around the world will be watching the pressure is on the lights will be bright and manchester city must shine once again this is their time to step up this is their time to win again this is their time to avoid a nightmare and keep their dream alive
