Pep Guardiola lamented a small injury picked up by Claudio Echeverri after he scored on his first start for the club. The 19-year-old was named in the starting XI against Al Ain and whipped in a free-kick inside half an hour to double the lead after Ilkay Gundogan's opener. The defending left much to be desired for the free-kick but it was still well exploited by Echeverri and Guardiola explained that the player had been working on set-pieces long after his teammates had finished training last season. "Last season when he arrived after every training session he practised free-kicks alone, so always works pay off," the manager told DAZN. "If he scores a goal, it's because he practises." Echeverri would only last until half-time though before being replaced by Phil Foden in the only change at the break. Guardiola confirmed that the teenager picked up a knock in the game that could make a him a doubt for Thursday's match with Juventus. "It's a pity for the twist," said Guardiola. "[It]s a little bit sore. "It was a problem at half-time, that's why he could not continue but he has big talent in small space and a great goal." Thursday's game will see who tops Group G in the Club World Cup, with the runner-up likely to face Real Madrid in the last-16. Foden missed a late chance to make it 7-0 against Al Ain in a scoreline that would have put City in control of their group but instead they will have to beat Juventus to finish top. Having brought in 11 new players for the Al Ain game, Guardiola cannot do the same after handing starts to the majority of his squad. However, he is happy to see the competition within the group as he narrows down his selection for their must-win game as they look to top the group. "It's easy. Everyone is ready and we're going to pick out the best ones," he said. "We're not going to play 11 new because we played everyone already." --- Here at the Manchester Evening News, we’re dedicated to bringing you the best Manchester City coverage and analysis. Make sure you don’t miss out on the latest City news by joining our free WhatsApp group. You can get all the breaking news and best analysis sent straight to your phone by clicking here to subscribe. You can also subscribe to our free newsletter service. Click here to be sent all the day’s biggest stories. And finally, if you’d rather listen to our expert analysis then make sure to check out our Talking City podcast. Our shows are available on all podcast platforms, including Spotify and Apple Podcasts , and you can also watch along on YouTube .