Manchester City vs Wydad Casablanca Predictions, Betting Tips and Match Previews

16:00
18
Etihad Stadium

Manchester City

Wydad Casablanca

DAZN
Channel 5

Manchester City -2

Reason for tip

Manchester City won their last two Club World Cup matches 3-0 and 4-0 against arguably better opposition than Wydad. The Moroccan side come into the tournament off the back of an inconsistent campaign where they finished third in the league and have just tasted two 1-0 defeats in friendlies against Porto and Sevilla.

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Manchester City 3-0

Reason for tip

Wydad’s inability to score, or threaten much, against Porto and Sevilla suggests they will struggle to unlock Manchester City’s defence in a competitive clash. City have the quality to score three goals and will be keen to bolster their goal difference in a group that could see the winners (who would avoid Real Madrid in the next round) decided by that if the final match against Juventus is drawn.

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Nico O'Reilly To Score Anytime

Reason for tip

Nico O’Reilly has scored five goals in his last 15 appearances for Man City. The left-back, a midfielder by trade, makes surging runs from deep that are hard to mark and has shown that he can finish clinically.

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Manchester City won their last two Club World Cup matches 3-0 and 4-0
Wydad Casablanca failed to score in friendly defeats to Porto (0-1) and Sevilla (0-1)
Nico O’Reilly has scored five goals in his last 15 appearances for Man City

City could be too hot for Wydad to handle

Manchester City should be too dynamic for Wydad Casablanca to handle even in the probable hot conditions anticipated for Wednesday’s Club World Cup group clash in Philadelphia. The clash between the 2023 Champions League winners and the 2022 African Champions League winners kicks off at midday and temperatures are likely to be in the high 80s Fahrenheit.

City’s possession-based football should wear out the Moroccan outfit, who were eliminated by Al Hilal on their only previous Club World Cup appearance three years ago. The Citizens have taken a strong squad, bolstered by new signings Tijjani Reijnders, Rayan Aït-Nouri and Rayan Cherki, to the tournament.

But Pep Guardiola may choose to drip-feed the new faces in slowly while relying on some experienced heads for this one, including the fit-gain first-name-on-the-teamsheet Rodri.

Clear gulf in class

City (or Spain) generally don’t lose when the midfielder plays, although there is little chance of that happening anyway because of the clear gulf in class between the two teams. Guardiola’s squad is full of world-class stars while Wydad’s big pre-tournament additions were Nordin Amrabat from Hull City and Bart Meijers from Borac Banja Luka.

That said, City may take a bit of time to warm to their task if their last Club World Cup appearance is anything to go by. It took them 25 minutes to register a first shot against Urawa Reds in the 2023 semi-finals before they ran out 3-0 winners.

They also beat a pretty good Fluminense side 4-0 in the final and a repeat scoreline could be within reach if they take their chances at Lincoln Financial Field. Nico O’Reilly, who scored five goals in 15 appearances for City since getting his chance at the start of the year, could be a good anytime goalscorer option because he makes surging runs from deep.