Manchester City will take on Urawa Red Diamonds in the FIFA Club World Cup on Tuesday, with a place in the final up for grabs.
Manchester City have been quite inconsistent in recent weeks, and they have picked up just three wins from their last six matches across all competitions ahead of the FIFA Club World Cup semi-final against Urawa Red Diamonds.
The Premier League champions will need to improve to grind out a win away from home here. Meanwhile, Urawa Red Diamonds are coming into this game on the back of a victory over Club Leon in the FIFA Club World Cup second round. They will now look to upset the odds and beat the treble winners.
The Japanese outfit have not been at their best in recent weeks, losing three of their last six matches across all competitions. They will need to step up and produce a high-quality performance to trouble Manchester City here. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
Team News & Tactics
Urawa Red Diamonds
Maciej Skorza will be without the services of Takahiro Akimoto, Takahiro Sekine, and Tomoaki Okubo for the FIFA Club World Cup semi-final against Manchester City. All three players picked up an injury against Club Leon on Friday.
The Japanese outfit are likely to start in a 4-2-3-1 formation, with Shusaku Nishikawa in goal. Hiroki Sakai and Takuya Ogiwara are likely to be deployed as the full-backs here, and they will look to protect the central defenders and help out in counter-attacks. Alexander Scholz and Marius Hoibraten will start as the central defenders here.
Ken Iwao and Atsuki Ito will start in the midfield pivot. The two players will look to break up the opposition attacks and protect the backline. Yoshio Koizumi and Alex Schalk are likely to be deployed on the flanks.
The two wide attackers will look to create goalscoring opportunities for their offensive partners. Kaito Yasui will be deployed as the central attacking midfielder behind Jose Kante, who will lead the line for Urawa Red Diamons against Manchester City.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Nishikawa; Sakai, Scholz, Hoibraten, Ogiwara; Iwao, Ito; Schalk, Yasui, Koizumi; Kante
Manchester City
The Premier League champions will be without Kevin De Bruyne, who remains sidelined with a thigh injury until the end of the month. Jeremy Doku has a muscular problem, and he is unlikely to be risked here.
Meanwhile, Erling Haaland is still nursing his ankle injury, and he will return to action towards the end of the month. Manchester City are likely to rotate their squad for this game, and Stefan Ortega could be handed a start here.
Rico Lewis and Sergio Gomez will start as the full-backs, and they will look to help out at both ends of the pitch. John Stones and Manuel Akanji will likely feature as the central defenders for the Champions League holders.
As for the midfield unit, Matheus Nunes will start alongside Mateo Kovacic in the double pivot. The two players will look to add creativity and control to the side. Jack Grealish and Oscar Bobb will be deployed as the wingers, with Bernardo Silva starting in the central attacking midfield role. Finally, Julian Alvarez will lead the line for Manchester City against Urawa Red Diamons.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Ortega; Lewis, Stones, Akanji, Gomez; Nunes, Kovacic; Bobb, Silva, Grealish; Alvarez
Key Stats
- Urawa Red Diamonds have won just three of their last six matches across all competitions.
- Manchester City have won just three of their last six matches across all competitions.
- Urawa Reds have conceded at least once in four of their last six matches.
- Manchester City have conceded 11 goals in their last six matches.
Player to Watch
Bernardo Silva
The Portuguese international will have to shoulder the creative burden here, and he will look to break down the Urawa Red Diamons with his creativity, vision and technical ability in the final third.
The Japanese outfit could easily look to sit back and defend against Manchester City. So, the Premier League champions will need Silva’s ingenuity to break them down. The 29-year-old midfielder has four goals and three assists across all competitions this season, and he is our key player to watch out for.
Prediction
Urawa Red Diamonds 0-2 Manchester City
The Premier League champions are definitely the favourites heading into this contest regardless of whether they decide to rotate their squad. The gulf in class between the two teams is immense, and Urawa Red Diamonds will struggle with some of their regular defenders. Manchester City should be able to pick up a comfortable 3-0 victory to reach the FIFA Club World Cup final.
