Manchester City vs Al Hilal Tips, Predictions and Bet Builder

Manchester City came into the Club World Cup after a poor season by their standards but after breezing through the group stages they now look the team to beat.

The defending champions claimed a routine 2-0 win over Wydad in their opener before crushing Al Ain 6-0. City then sent out a huge statement with a 5-2 thrashing of Italian giants Juventus in their final group assignment.

City come up against Al Hilal in the last 16 after the Saudi side finished second in Group H behind Real Madrid.  The record 19-time Saudi Arabian Pro League champions have some big names in their squad and are unbeaten in the Club World Cup so far, claiming draws with Los Blancos and Salzburg before booking their spot in the knockout stages with a 2-0 success over Mexico’s Pachuca. 

Manchester City vs Al Hilal Tips Summary

Market	Tip	Odds
Match Result	Manchester City to win	1/4
Best Bet	Manchester City -2 handicap	8/5
Bet Builder	BTTS - No, Jeremy Doku to score anytime, Sergej Milinkovic-Savic to have 2+ shots	11/1

Key Match Stats

• Manchester City have scored 18 goals across their last five games.
• Al Hilal’s last two losses have come by two-goal margins.
• Al Hilal keeper Bono has faced 15 shots on target at the Club World Cup.
• Man City have had 45 shots, 22 on target, across their last two games.
• Pep Guardiola's men have three clean sheets in their last four games.

Manchester City vs Al Hilal Prediction

Best Bet: Manchester City -2 handicap @ 8/5

Al Hilal have impressed defensively at the Club World Cup with just one goal conceded in three games, but they may struggle to keep this slick Manchester City side quiet in the last 16 in the early hours of Tuesday morning.

Since a shock defeat to Crystal Palace in the FA Cup final, City have rattled off five wins and all of those victories have come by at least two goals.

Pep Guardiola’s side were sensational against Serie A big guns Juventus in their final group stage assignment in a game to decide top spot, managing 24 attempts on goal with 11 of those on target.

Al Hilal held Real Madrid to a 1-1 draw in their opening group game but they were a little fortunate to nick a point and relied heavily on keeper Bono.

If City are able to take an early lead the Saudi side will have to take a few more risks, particularly as this is a knockout game, and that could open the floodgates so the defending champions may be able to win with plenty of room to spare. 

Gareth Freeman explains:

Man City are playing like a team with a point to prove after their struggles domestically and in Europe last season. City have recorded two huge wins ahead of this last-16 tie and if they can get ahead early they should be able to win comfortably against Al Hilal.

Manchester City vs Al Hilal Bet Builder Tip

• Both Teams To Score - No
• Jeremy Doku to score anytime
• Sergej Milinkovic-Savic to have 2+ shots
  
  Pays 11/1

By backing both teams to score - no and a Jeremy Doku goal, this bet builder effectively includes Manchester City to win to nil and there are a few reasons to feel the Premier League side will keep a clean sheet.

City had gone three games without conceding prior to their 5-2 win over Juventus - and they only faced two shots on target in that game. Al Hilal drew a blank against Salzburg, arguably the weakest European team in the competition, and they have lost key attacker and captain Salem Al Dawsari to injury for this last-16 game so they may struggle to carve out chances.

Doku is one of the form men in the City attack. The Belgian international has two goals in as many games at the Club World Cup and has three goals in his last three appearances for club and country.

Al Hilal midfielder Sergej Milinkovic-Savic has had seven shots in total in three games in this competition, with six of those coming in his two games against European sides. The Saudi outfit may not get that many opportunities but the former Lazio man should be able to at least record two attempts.

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Gareth Freeman adds:

The Al Hilal players offer bigger prices when it comes to attacking involvement and backing at least two shots from Sergej Milinkovic-Savic looks a smart play. The Serbian is one of Al Hilal’s on-field generals and can step up to the plate by trying to impact the game, even if it is hard to see his side getting on the scoresheet.

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Tactics, Form and Team News

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has rotated his line-up over the course of the tournament and should continue that policy here.

Rodri started against Juventus but may drop back down to the bench, while Erling Haaland could be restored to the first XI.

Expected Manchester City line-up (4-3-3): Ederson; Nunes, Akanji, Gvardiol, O'Reilly; Gonzalez, Silva, Foden; Cherki, Doku, Haaland.

Al Hilal have lost captain and forward Salem Al Dawsari for the remainder of the tournament. 

Midfielder Mohamed Kanno replaced him against Pachuca and could now come into the starting side for the crocked skipper, particularly if boss Simone Inzaghi opts for a more defensive approach against Manchester City.

Expected Al Hilal line-up (4-3-3): Bono; Cancelo, Tambakti, Koulibaly, Lodi; Neves, Kanno, Milinkovic-Savic; N Al-Dawsari, Malcom, Leonardo.

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This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.