Saudi Arabian club Al-Hilal midfielder Ruben Neves stressed that his team is not afraid of facing English giants Manchester City in the last 16 of the 2025 Club World Cup even though he said the match would be difficult.
"It's never easy to face Manchester City. However, of course we will do our best," said Neves, quoted from the FIFA website.
The Portuguese player who played for the Premier League team Wolverhampton Wanderers in 2017-2023 said he knew Manchester City very well.
Neves, who is a key player at Wolverhampton, has faced City several times and is also good friends with the Portuguese players at City.
"For me, City are one of the three best teams in the world at the moment. I know very well what they are like. I played against them a few times when I was playing in England and some of my Portuguese friends are there," said the 28-year-old.
According to Neves, what needs to be watched out for from Manchester City is the change in their players.
City have brought in several new players for the 2025-2026 season who have already featured in the 2025 Club World Cup, such as Tijjani Reinders, Rayan Ait-Nouri and Rayan Cherki.
However, Neves has not lost his optimism that Al-Hilal can make a surprise like when they were able to hold Real Madrid to a 1-1 draw in the opening match of Group H of the 2025 Club World Cup.
