Cliff Notes – Manchester City to suffer in heat for crunch Juventus game
- Pep Guardiola warns his players will “suffer” in 90-degree heat during the Club World Cup final against Juventus in Orlando.
- Guardiola plans to rotate his squad due to the extreme conditions, emphasising the need for hydration and proper preparation.
Manchester City to ‘suffer’ in heat for crunch Juventus game
Pep Guardiola has said his Manchester City players will “suffer” in the heat when they face Juventus in their Club World Cup decider in Orlando on Thursday.
The final Group G fixture will kick off at 3 p.m. local time at Camping World Stadium when temperatures are scheduled to reach 90 degrees.
City, who have been training in Boca Raton, played their last game against Al Ain in Atlanta’s air-conditioned Mercedes-Benz Stadium, but the conditions in Orlando will be much different.
“The heat is obvious,” Guardiola told a news conference on Wednesday. “We can’t change it. It’s better to play at the Atlanta stadium, which is fantastic. All the teams have to handle it. The next World Cup [in 2026], people know it already. We have to be ready to suffer.
“My advice to the people is to bring a lot of water, hats and towels for the necks because I think it’s going to be tough.”
Guardiola has so far picked two different teams for the first two games against Wydad AC and Al Ain.
Juventus present the toughest test in the group and City must win to finish top and potentially avoid Real Madrid in the round of 16.
But despite having a lot riding on the result, Guardiola said he will have to factor in the heat when he makes his team selection.
“We will play new players and also in the next game too and in the second half,” he said. “The selection has that in mind. In these conditions we are not ready to play 90 minutes and at half-time we will make substitutions.”
One player not available is Claudio Echeverri. The 19-year-old was substituted at half-time against Al Ain and has been pictured on crutches and wearing a protective boot.
“He has problems in the ankle so two or three weeks out. I feel so sorry for him.” said Guardiola.