Al-Ittihad midfielder Fabinho has said that he wishes for Manchester City not to reach the Club World Cup final.
The Brazilian international made this admission as he is aware of how brilliant Pep Guardiola’s side is while speaking to talkSPORT (13/12/2023).
Al-Ittihad midfielder Fabinho hopes Manchester City do not reach the Club World Cup final
After Manchester City face Crystal Palace in the Premier League, they travel to Saudi Arabia to take part in the semi-final of the competition.
The Saudi Pro League giants, on the other hand, are set to face Egyptian side Al Ahly SC in the second round of the tournament this Friday.
Having gone toe-to-toe with Manchester City on numerous instances as a Liverpool player, Fabinho has admitted that he does not want to do so at Al-Ittihad due to their dream of winning the Club World Cup.
“If they make it to the final, Fabinho is likely to face a familiar enemy, but for the sake of his team’s trophy goals, he hopes that doesn’t happen”, he told talkSPORT.
“I want to be in the final…and then to be honest, I don’t want to play against Man City, because I know how good they are!”
Manchester City are clear favourites
While Al-Ittihad have big names in their roster like Karim Benzema, N’Golo Kante and Jota to name a few, Fabinho himself is aware that Manchester City are on a different level to his side.
Despite having top players at their disposal, the Saudi Arabian side has signed them past the best versions of themselves.
The same cannot be said about City’s squad, who won a historic treble during the 2022/2023 season.
Be it ahead of the semi-final as well as a potential final in the Club World Cup, the Sky Blues are expected to have a field day against their opponents.
While Manchester City have been far from their best this campaign, it would be tough to argue against their status as the standout team in world football.
Furthermore, during the second half of every season under Pep Guardiola, they start to get into their groove, which should be a worry for Fabinho and Co.
