Club World Cup: Predictions for Thursday's games
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Aaron Ashley
LiveScore
Pep Guardiola's Manchester City need to beat Juventus to take top spot in Group G
Pep Guardiola's Manchester City need to beat Juventus to take top spot in Group G

- Juventus and Manchester City lock horns in Orlando for Group G supremacy
- Wydad AC and Al Ain meet in a Group G dead-rubber both seeking their first point
- Al Hilal square-up against Pachuca in Nashville requiring victory to qualify
- Real Madrid face Salzburg in Philadelphia knowing a win sees them top Group H

Thursday's FIFA Club World Cup fare sees the conclusion of Group G and H and there is plenty still on the line with top honours in the balance in both sections.

Juventus and Manchester City are already through, having each won their opening two clashes with the minimum of fuss, but a draw or better will see the Old Lady top the pool ahead of the Premier League heavyweights.

In Group H, three teams can still advance to the round of 16.

Real Madrid and Salzburg currently fill the top two places on four points from two games but they must do battle in Philadelphia, leaving Al Hilal knowing that a win over Pachuca in Nashville should be enough to see them advance.

Juventus vs Manchester City (Thursday, 8pm)

Igor Tudor has had a positive impact as Juventus coach
Igor Tudor has had a positive impact as Juventus coach

Juventus cruised past Al Ain 5-0 in their opener before recording an equally emphatic 4-1 win over Wydad AC, while City eased to a 2-0 success against the Moroccans before routing the Saudi side 6-0 to ensure their qualification.

Both teams are assured of progress but Juve have scored one more goal so a draw would see them top the charts and, having lost only one of their 11 matches since Igor Tudor replaced Thiago Motta as manager in March, they must be optimistic.

The Old Lady tasted success against Manchester City in this season's Champions League, winning 2-0 at the Allianz Stadium in December, so they are unbeaten in five European meetings with the Citizens since 2010.

Score prediction: Juventus 1-1 Manchester City

Wydad AC vs Al Ain (Thursday, 8pm)

The Club World Cup has been a steep learning curve for both Wydad AC and Al Ain, but it is the Moroccans who have put up a better fight and have a goal difference six healthier.

Wydad were far from disgraced in a 2-0 loss to Manchester City, only being edged out 15-12 on the shot count, while they had 15 shots to Juve's nine in their 4-1 defeat to the Serie A side.

Al Ain, having had only 14 shots in failing to score across their opening two defeats, are finding chances much harder to come by and they have won only four of their last 14 matches.

Score prediction: Wydad AC 2-0 Al Ain

Al Hilal vs Pachuca (Friday, 2am)

Al Hilal posted a shock 1-1 draw against Real Madrid in their push for a round of 16 and they had the better of the argument in their goalless draw with Salzburg, having 19 shots to the Austrian outfit's 13.

The Saudi side have impressed under new manager Simone Inzaghi and, having suffered only two defeats in their last 16 matches, they should have too much for an already-eliminated Pachuca.

That said, the Mexican side took the lead in a 2-1 loss to Salzburg, while they were also on target in a 3-1 defeat to Real Madrid, which means both teams have scored in five of their last seven fixtures.

Score prediction: Al Hilal 2-1 Pachuca

Real Madrid vs Salzburg (Friday, 2am)

Xabi Alonso is still bedding in as Real Madrid coach
Xabi Alonso is still bedding in as Real Madrid coach

Having both picked up four points from two games, victory in this closing clash at Lincoln Financial Field would guarantee top honours in Group H for Real Madrid or Salzburg.

Real have been far from their free-flowing best in their opening two games, being held to a 1-1 draw by Al Hilal before their 10 men edged to a 3-1 success over Pachuca.

However, these are still early days under manager Xabi Alonso and they could be easing into the tournament.

The Spanish giants swatted aside Salzburg 5-1 in the Champions League in January and their world-class attack can guide them to another high-scoring victory.

Score prediction: Real Madrid 3-1 Salzburg

Tags

FIFA Club World CupJuventusManchester CityWydad CasablancaAl-AinAl HilalPachucaReal MadridFC Salzburg
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