Al Ain vs Juventus predictions: Tudor can reign against UAE hopefuls
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- Al Ain signed off their UAE Pro League season unbeaten in seven
- Juventus won fewer than half of their Serie A matches last season
- Recommended bet: Juventus to win 2-0
Juventus are a short price to see off UAE hopefuls Al Ain in a Group G clash at the Club World Cup at Audi Field, Washington DC.
Igor Tudor's men flew into the USA after a tame 2024-25 season and they will not be taking lightly a side from the Gulf, who have found form and stability at just the right time.
Team news
Soufiane Rahimi, MVP and top scorer as Al Ain won last year's AFC Champions League, is the go-to man for the UAE side.
Centre-back Khalid Al-Hashemi could be a question mark, having flown into the US late after his wedding.
Injured Juventus duo Bremer and Arkadiusz Milik have travelled but will get no further than the bench for Game 1.
Manuel Locatelli is also a doubt, while Daniele Rugani and Filip Kostic have returned from season-long loans and will be in contention.
The stats
Al Ain ended the season on a seven-game unbeaten run to finish fifth in the UAE Pro League. They had clean sheets in six of those games.
Juve won only 18 Serie A games last season, their lowest total since 2010-11.
There were fewer than three goals in seven of the nine Juventus games in which Tudor has been manager.
Prediction
It has been a dismal season at Juventus, where enthusiasm over the appointment of Igor Tudor is lukewarm at best.
The Croatian, who spent almost a decade with the Turin giants as a player, replaced Thiago Motta in March with the goal of trying to get the Old Lady into the top four.
Despite gripes over his style, he succeeded courtesy of a last-day 3-2 win at Venezia and has now signed a contract until 2028.
Tudor's football was largely stuffy, however, and after a season in which they drew far too many games and flopped against PSV in the UEFA Champions League, the Biaconeri's long-suffering fans could do with something to cheer.
And beating Al Ain comfortably and positively is about all they will tolerate – and they may not get their wish.
Juventus really should be a class apart from the UAE Pro League outfit, though under Vladimir Ivic – their fifth manager in two years – the Gulf side did at least finish the season strongly.
But their league is no contest for Serie A and they are going to see so little of the ball that they are hard to fancy even at big odds.
This is a thankless task for Juve. Win, but not well, and the knives for Tudor will remain sharp.
Win, and win well, and their supporters will shrug their shoulders and say that should have happened.
Al Ain will set up to be awkward to break down so Juve can get the job done but in no sort of style.
They are short enough to win to nil – which should be the outcome – but a 2-0 correct score bet could be of decent interest.
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