Manchester City–Al Ain: anticipated debut for Aït Nouri!

Algerian international Rayan Aït Nouri could finally make his first appearance in a Manchester City shirt this Monday, as the Sky Blues take on Al Ain (United Arab Emirates) in the second group stage match of the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup.

After remaining on the bench during City's opening win over Wydad Casablanca (2-0), the 23-year-old left-back could seize his chance in the starting XI, especially after a lackluster display from his rival, Nico O'Reilly. This may be Aït Nouri's opportunity to claim a spot in Pep Guardiola’s lineup.

Notably, FIFA has assigned an all-Algerian refereeing trio to officiate this matchup. The experienced Mustapha Ghorbal will take charge on the pitch, assisted by Mokhtar Ghorari and Akram Abbas—a further testament to the growing international reputation of Algerian officiating.

The match will be played overnight from Sunday to Monday at Atlanta’s "Mercedes-Benz Stadium" (USA), with kickoff scheduled for 01:00 GMT.

Likely Man City starting XI against Al Ain

According to English outlet "Manchester Evening News", here is the probable lineup Pep Guardiola is expected to field:

Goalkeeper: Stefan Ortega

Defenders: Matheus Nunes – Khosanov – Gvardiol – Rayan Aït Nouri

Midfielders: Nico González – Ilkay Gündogan – Claudio Echeverri

Attackers: Bernardo Silva – Oscar Bobb – Erling Haaland

See also: Bernardo Silva: “Mahrez told me to take care of Aït Nouri”!

Mohamed Rek |

Editorfr, ar, en

Mohamed Rek- sports content writer with over 10 years of experience creating football content in Arabic and French for platforms such as Foot Africa and Starafrica, combining accuracy, creativity, and audience engagement.