Manchester City manager, Pep Guardiola, wants to complete his impressive trophy haul by winning the Club World Cup in Saudi Arabia.
This will be the first time the Gulf Kingdom will be hosting a major international football tournament.
City will be travelling to Jeddah, the host city for all seven tournament matches.
After having won the treble of the Champions League, Premier League, and FA Cup last season, City is now aiming to add the first Club World Cup to their trophy cabinet.
Despite their recent four-game winless streak in the Premier League, City remains the favourite to lift the Club World Cup.
Since Corinthians beat Chelsea in 2012, the Champions League winners have always been the ones to lift the trophy.
This year, regardless of who emerges victorious from the final on December 23, there will be a new name on the trophy.
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Fluminense, the South American representatives, won the Copa Libertadores for the first time last month.
However, the major threat to City’s ambition of winning the tournament could come from the rise of Saudi Arabia as a sporting hotbed.
Though Al-Ittihad has only qualified due to their status as champions of the host nation, they boast a wealth of previous Club World Cup winners in their team, including Karim Benzema, N’Golo Kante, and Fabinho.
Benzema has set a new record by becoming the first player to score in four Club World Cups as Al-Ittihad swept aside Auckland City 3-0 in the first round on Wednesday.
In the quarter-finals, they will face African champions Al Ahly of Egypt.
The winner of the other quarter-final between Mexico’s Club Leon and Urawa Red Diamonds will meet City in the last four.
City will be well-prepared and focused on achieving their dream of winning the Club World Cup.
