UAE league champions Al Ain are set to announce a glamour friendly with English Premier League giants for later this month to open the club’s new Hazaa Bin Zayed Stadium.
The date currently penciled in for the occasion is January 14 – in between City’s league games against Newcastle United and Cardiff City – although the prospect of an FA Cup replay could scupper the plans altogether.
City are in FA Cup action on Saturday at Blackburn Rovers and Manuel Pellegrini’s men are heavily favoured to progress to the fourth round.
However, should Blackburn achieve an unlikely draw, the friendly would unlikely go ahead.
The Al Ain squad trained on their new pitch for the first time on Tuesday ahead of their first home game in a fortnight inside the 25,000-seater Hazza Bin Zayed Stadium.
The Boss will hope the move can reinvigorate their season having fallen 11 points behind league leaders Al Ahli following defeat to Al Jazira on Monday.
Indeed, the UAE club will look to City for inspiration given the English club’s stunning form at the Etihad Stadium where they have won all 10 matches, scoring 38 goals and conceding just six in the process.
The proposed fixture will also give City the chance to take a renewed look at Al Ain playmaker Omar Abdulrahman, who joined the 2012 Premier League champions on trial following his dazzling display at the London Olympics.
On that occasion, Abdulrahman was unable to obtain a work permit to make the move permanent, although City remain interested in the 22-year-old’s progress.
Given the time of year the friendly is scheduled for, it is unclear at present how strong Pellegrini's squad will be for the match.
