Man City’s route to the Club World Cup final | OneFootball

Manchester City’s route to the FIFA Club World Cup final has been decided after making it out of their group.

Pep Guardiola’s side look to be returning to their best, after making light work of their group stage opponents. City won all three of their group games, and they were the only team in the competition to achieve that feat.

Their toughest test came in their final group match as they faced Juventus. Back in December, the Italian side won 2-0 when the teams met in the Champions League. However, it was a totally different story this time.

Guardiola’s side dismantled Juventus with ease, running out 5-2 victors in Orlando. This completed City’s perfect record in the group stages and also secured them top spot of Group G.

Now that all the group games have finished, the brackets for the knockout stages have been finalised.

City will face Al-Hilal in the round of 16 in Orlando. The Saudi side boast a strong squad with a number of experienced players, including former City star Joao Cancelo. Despite this, Guardiola’s side will still be somewhat relieved with this matchup. If they had failed to beat Juventus then they would have been up against Real Madrid.

If City defeat Al-Hilal, they will face either Inter Milan or Fluminense in the quarter-finals. The Italians are expected to win that tie, although Brazilian teams have already produced some surprise results against top European opposition at the tournament.

Should Guardiola’s side continue to progress, they could meet Premier League rivals Chelsea in the semi-finals. Their potential semi-final opponents are Palmeiras, Botafogo, Benfica or Chelsea.

City’s side of the draw is perhaps the easier one on paper. Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and PSG were amongst the pre-tournament favourites. However, City cannot meet any of them until the final.

After their perfect record in the group stage, the Citizens will have their eyes set on going all the way in the tournament. Now that their route has been decided, City will be confident that they can reach the final.