Urawa Reds vs Manchester City: Predicted lineup, injury news, head-to-head, telecast

Published at :December 17, 2023 at 10:58 PM

Modified at :December 27, 2023 at 5:43 PM

The Asian champs go head-to-head with the European winners in this semi-final

The Japanese outfit of Urawa Red Diamonds got the ticket to the 2023 FIFA Club World Cup after winning the 2022-23 AFC Champions League. In the second round, Maciej Skorża’s men were up against one of the debutants in the competition – Club León. The CONCACAF Champions League winners failed to reach the semi-finals after falling to a 1-0 defeat on their debut. Now Urawa Reds will meet another competition debutant in the form of Man City in the semi-final stage.

After beating Inter Milan 1-0 in Istanbul, Man City won their first-ever UEFA Champions League trophy. That victory allowed them to participate in the Club World Cup for the very first time. Yesterday, Pep Guardiola’s men squandered a 2-0 lead to draw 2-2 against Crystal Palace. They will try and put the Premier League carelessness behind them to focus on the Japanese side for the upcoming semi-finals.

Kick-Off:

Tuesday, 19 December 2023 at 11:30 PM IST (6:00 PM UK)

Location: King Abdullah Sports City

Form

Urawa Red Diamonds (in all competitions): W-L-W-W-L

Man City (in all competitions): D-W-W-L-D

Players to Watch

José Kanté (Urawa Reds)

In the second-round fixture against Mexican outfit Club León, it was José Kanté who assisted Alex Schalk’s match-winning goal. The 33-year-old forward has scored 8 goals in 24 games of the Japanese first tier, the J1 League for Urawa Reds. Kanté was an important figure in the entire game against León.

Jack Grealish (Manchester City)

In the last game, we saw former Aston Villa star Jack Grealish score the opener against the Eagles. That was also his third consecutive Premier League goal in three games. The Man City number 10 could put on the show against the Japanese side.

Match Facts

This game will be Man City’s debut in the FIFA Club World Cup
The Cityzens have failed to keep a clean sheet in the last 8 matches in all competitions
This will be the first-ever meeting of both sides and that too at the semi-final stage

Injury & Team News

No reported injuries or suspensions for Maciej Skorża’s side.

The European champs have a handful of stars with doubtful status for the match. Guardiola has winger Jérémy Doku and star striker Erling Haaland in contention to be on the bench after doctors check their match fitness. Influential midfielder Kevin De Bruyne is ruled out for the match.

Head to Head

This semi-final contest between Urawa Red Diamonds and Man City will be their first-ever meeting

Predicted Lineup

Urawa Red Diamonds predicted lineup (4-2-3-1):

Nishikawa (GK); Sekine, Scholz, Høibråten, Akimoto; Ito, Iwao; Schalk, Yasui, Koizumi; Kanté

Man City predicted lineup (4-2-3-1):

Ederson (GK); Walker, Dias, Ake, Gvardiol; Lewis, Rodri; Silva, Foden, Grealish; Álvarez

Match Prediction for Urawa Reds vs Manchester City

Guardiola knows that winning this tournament would see City make history in English football. They would become the first-ever English side to win the UEFA Super Cup, Champions League, FA Cup, Premier League and FIFA Club World Cup all in the same year. This game is the first step towards that feat. The European champions are competition favourites for a reason and should outclass the Asian winners.

Prediction: Urawa Red Diamonds 0-3 Man City

Telecast for Urawa Reds vs Manchester City

India – Eurosport, Fancode, FIFA+

UK – TNT Sports, FIFA+

US – TNT Sports, Discovery+, FIFA+

Nigeria – StarTimes, FIFA+

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