Thursday night’s match between Manchester City and Juventus would certainly draw a lot more attention if it were in a different competition. Instead it’s the final Club World Cup group stage clash for two sides that have already advanced through to the knockout round. Even if Man City versus Juve was a standalone friendly, staged in late July or early August it might get more buzz than this; maybe. Possibly.
The Club World Cup is a great concept, at least on paper. However, FIFA botched this all so badly that well, the lukewarm interest is certainly deserved.
Manchester City vs Juventus FYIs
Kickoff: Thurs June 26, 9pm EST, Camping World Stadium, Orlando, FL
Club World Cup Group G Standings, Form: Manchester City 2nd, 6 pts, WW Juventus 1st, 6 pts, WW
Man City Preview Material: Tournament Preview Team News Starting XI Prediction
Watch: DAZN streams it for free, with TNT airing some games, like this one.
First off, the tournament is too overexpanded, and FIFA never should have initially charged real World Cup level ticket prices for the Club World Cup. While they brought prices down to something more reasonable, eventually, the damage was already done. Also, FIFA’s inability to land a truly interested broadcast partner, until very late in the process, destroyed their ability to market and promote the tournament effectively.
But hey, we’ll still watch anyway!
Manchester City Starting XI Prediction vs Juventus (Club World Cup)
Stefan Ortega; John Stones, Abdukodir Khusanov, Josko Gvardiol; Tijjjani Reijnders, Matheus Nunes; Savinho, Rayan Cherki, Phil Foden, Jeremy Doku; Omar Marmoush
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to USA Today’s NFL Wires Network. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, the Washington Post and ESPN. You can follow him on Linked In and Twitter