City take the stage for the CWC round of 16 clash in Orlando against Al Hilal in the early hours of Tuesday morning (2 am UK time), and while Guardiola wants to win it, he’s not sure what cost it might carry.
“It could ruin us,” he said bluntly. “Maybe by November, December, or January, we’ll be completely drained.”
It’s uncharted territory. No Premier League side has had to manage this schedule with this level of intensity. Guardiola isn’t predicting disaster—but he isn’t ruling it out either.
His focus right now is on the short term. “We’re here to find what we were,” he said. “That’s the aim. We’ve had a tough season. I want the players to reconnect with that competitive edge we’ve had for most of the last decade.”
City haven’t hit their usual rhythm in 2024–25. There have been flashes, but nothing sustained. Guardiola sees the Club World Cup not as a distraction, but as a potential spark.
“If we can use this to get back to who we are, it will have been worth it,” he said. “We’ll see what comes next. Once it’s over, we’ll take the rest we’re given and go again.”
The match pits Guardiola against a familiar opponent. Al Hilal are managed by Simone Inzaghi, who led Inter Milan in the 2023 Champions League final where City edged it 1–0 to seal a historic treble.
Inzaghi hasn’t forgotten.
“That final could have gone either way,” he said. “Inter deserved more. We just didn’t get the luck.”
Despite the result, Inzaghi holds Guardiola in the highest regard.
“Every coach looks up to him. He’s changed how football is played. There’s a before and after with Pep.”
The two managers crossed paths again in a goalless draw at the Etihad last season, and Inzaghi now prepares to face Guardiola once more, this time from the Saudi touchline.
He’ll do so without two key players. Salem Al-Dawsari—famous for his winner against Argentina at the 2022 World Cup—and Aleksandar Mitrovic are both out injured.
That weakens Al Hilal. But Guardiola won’t take anything for granted.