Al Ain vs Juventus Preview: Team News & Prediction | 2025 FIFA Club World Cup | Group Stage
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The first round of group games conclude as Al Ain take on Juventus in Washington.
Kick-off date/time:
How to watch on TV & online: UK – DAZN / US – DAZN
Al Ain team news: Rui Patricio to start in goal
Veteran goalkeeper Rui Patricio arrived on a short-term deal from Atalanta at the end of May and will provide a safe pair of hands for the Abu Dhabi side.
Forward Soufiane Rahimi will be looking to show his talents on the world stage after earning the MVP award in the 2024 AFC Champions League.
Predicted XI (3-4-1-2): Patricio; Autonne, Park, Cardoso; Traore, Nader, Palacios, Erik; Kaku; Laba, Rahimi
Unavailable:
Questionable:
Juventus team news: Vlahovic or Kolo Muani?
Dusan Vlahovic could get the nod up front, although with rumours circulating that he is on the way out of the club, it could be Randal Kolo Muani who leads the line.
Manuel Locatelli looks likely to shake off an injury to start, but the game may come too soon for Bremer and Arkadiusz Milik with the pair having only partially trained.
Predicted XI (3-4-2-1): Di Gregorio; Kalulu, Gatti, Kelly; Gonzalez, Thuram, Locatelli, Cambiaso; Conceicao, Yildiz; Vlahovic
Unavailable:
Questionable: Bremer (Injured), Locatelli (Injured), Milik (Injured)
Key stats
- Al Ain became AFC Champions League winners for the second time in their history in May 2024 when they defeated Yokohama F. Marinos 6-3 over a two-legged final. Trailing 2-1 after the first leg in Japan, they recorded an emphatic 5-1 win on home soil to win their continental showpiece tournament.
- Al Ain are the only club from the United Arab Emirates to have been crowned champions of Asia.
- Al Ain’s Moroccan striker Soufiane Rahimi won the AFC Champions League 2023/24 Most Valuable Player and Top Scorer awards, having finished with 13 goals in their successful campaign, including two in the second leg of the final against Yokohama F. Marinos
- At international level, Soufiane Rahimi top scored at the Men’s Olympic Football Tournament Paris 2024, netting eight times in six matches as Morocco captured bronze.
- A European champion at international level with Portugal in 2016, Al Ain’s 108-times-capped Portugal international goalkeeper Rui Patricio represented his nation in three FIFA World Cups and four UEFA European Championships.
- Al Ain goalkeeper Rui Patricio played his club football in Italy for the last four seasons (Roma 2021/22 to 2023/24 and Atalanta 2024/25). He made five appearances against Juventus in Serie A (W1 D1 L3).
- Al Ain’s coach Vladimir Ivić succeeded his Juventus opposite number Igor Tudor as the head coach of Greek club PAOK in March 2016.
- Juventus are the most successful Italian club domestically with a record number of Serie A (36), Coppa Italia (15) and Supercoppa italiana (9) titles. The Italian giants have been crowned as the champions of Europe on two occasions (1985 and 1996) and have also won three UEFA Cup titles, a UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup and two UEFA Super Cup trophies.
- Juve earned their place at the FIFA Club World Cup 2025™ via the UEFA ranking pathway. Their consistent participation in the UEFA Champions League in the four-year qualifying period (2020-24), in which they reached the last 16 twice, ensured they qualified for the inaugural tournament.
- Juventus have two United States men’s national team players in their squad, with both Weston McKennie and Timothy Weah having been involved in the USA’s four matches at the World Cup in Qatar in 2022 and in their hat-trick of Concacaf Nations League successes between 2021 and 2024.
- Juve’s USA international forward Timothy Weah is one of five players in the 32 rosters to have participated in at least one FIFA World Cup, FIFA Under-20 World Cup and a FIFA Under-17 World Cup previously; along with Koke (Atlético), Hector Moreno (Monterrey), Oscar Ustari (Inter Miami) and Yoon Jong-gyu (Ulsan).
Al Ain vs Juventus prediction
One of four Asian representatives at the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup, Al Ain were crowned AFC Champions League winners in 2023-24, which earned their place at this revamped tournament.
To make it out of Group G, The Abu Dhabi outfit will hope to channel their historic run to the final of the 2018 Intercontinental Cup, where they upset South American behemoths River Plate before a 4-1 loss to Real Madrid in the final.
One of the most decorated European nations, Juventus have struggled to match their past glories in recent seasons and stuttered to fourth place in Serie A in 2024-25.
In the week leading up to this contest, Igor Tudor – who replaced sacked manager Thiago Motta in March – signed a two-year extension to his deal and will hope to repay that faith with a strong showing in the USA.
Juve are strongly favoured to make it out of this group and they can take a big step towards that goal with three points here. Although Al Ain do possess a threat, the European giants are capable of keeping them at bay.
Al Ain vs Juventus tip: Juventus to win to nil
