Manchester City vs Urawa Red Diamonds
The much-anticipated debut of Manchester City at the FIFA Club World Cup will be against the champions of Asia, the Urawa Red Diamonds, on Tuesday at King Abdullah Sports City Stadium.
City will enter the semi-final bout as the heavy favourites to progress to the tournament’s final, so expect a couple of Club World Cup 2023 highlights as the Sky Blues boast their brand of European football.
In the same breath, the Reds are no pushovers and will definitely put on a competitive performance. Dethroning Al-Hilal in the 2022–23 AFC Champions League final just shows how lethal this Japanese outfit can be.
Talking Points
Pep eyeing another piece of silverware
Despite the budding pressure over their domestic form, Pep Guardiola’s European champions are set to make their Club World Cup debut and attempt to garner yet another silverware for their already historic year.
“To play this tournament that we have never played before – you need to be there,” Guardiola shares his excitement. “And we are going to fly there and see the environment, how it is, and play against Urawa the best as possible to deserve to get to the final.”
A change of scenery might do the European champions some good. After their draw against Crystal Palace in the Premier League, Manchester City are now five points behind league leaders Arsenal. Having this international competition amidst the demanding Premier League slate could reignite Manchester City’s winning ways.
If Pep Guardiola and his boys emerge as the winners of the whole tournament, Manchester City will become the first English club to win the Champions League, Premier League, UEFA Super Cup, FA Cup, and FIFA Club World Cup in the same year. If that won’t inspire City to steamroll in their domestic competition, I don’t know what will.
Reds confident against City
The Asian champions stunned 2023 Concacaf Champions Cup Winners Club Leon of Mexico to advance to the semifinals, all thanks to substitute Alex Schalk, who scored the only goal of the match at minute 78.
They will square off with the European Juggernauts, Manchester City, who are revered all over the football world, especially after winning the treble. But the three-time Asian champions aren’t phased by the grandeur of Pep’s City.
Urawa forward Bryan Lissen was adamant in his message to the rest of the Red Diamonds heading into the semifinal match against the treble winners. “You enjoy the game and do respect the players, but not too much. Because they’re also normal human beings like we are, only the more talented and better,” Lissen said.
He continued, “But nothing is impossible, meaning everything is possible. So you have to fight for it, but as long as you have too much respect for them, then you will never win.”
The seasoned Red Diamonds have participated in the Club World Cup twice previously, finishing third in 2007 and an opening match exit against Al Jazira in 2017. They have been in this position before, so their swagger coming into their match against City is fathomable.
History
Their Club World Cup bout will be the first time these two teams face off, so expect a thrilling match between these unfamiliar adversaries.
In recent form, Manchester City continue their shaky stretch of football with a 2-2 draw against Crystal Palace at Etihad Stadium. This was their third match that ended in a draw in their last five Premier League competitions, forcing them to slide down to fourth place, tucked between Aston Villa and Tottenham.
In Asia, the Urawa Red Diamonds finished their 2023 J1 League campaign as the fourth seed. It was a pretty respectable campaign for Maciej Skorża’s team given that they finished the 2022 season as the ninth seed.
They stunned Mexico’s Leon with a late Alex Schalk goal that lit up the Prince Abdullah al-Faisal Stadium with roars and dropped jaws, as Urawa secured their spot in the semifinals.
Betting Tip
It’s no surprise that SBOTOP has Manchester City as the overwhelming favourites in this international bout. Urawa should get all the credit they deserve, but Manchester City is the reigning champion of Europe, arguably the richest continent in terms of football talent.
The Club World Cup 2023 odds of the Sky Blues at 1.17 seem pretty fair, while the Red Diamonds are the underdogs at 7.80 and 6.60 to draw. Betting on 1.17 may be the safest of all the lines, but the value is too low to get excited about. That’s why I personally would rather punters consider the total goal lines, particularly over 3.25 at 1.95.
Both clubs are prolific when it comes to finding the back of the net. Urawa’s José Kanté and Alexander Scholz are both world-class footballers who could score against even the toughest of defences. Meanwhile, Manchester City boast the best offence in the Premier League, scoring 40 goals after 17 matches. It helps that Erling Haaland, who leads the golden boot race with 14 goals, is on your team.
These remarks make me believe that these clubs scoring over 3.25 goals in their upcoming match wouldn’t be such a lofty task, and with a price of 1.95, this line should definitely be on everyone’s list.
A SHORT EXPLANATION ON HOW OUR (⭐) BETS ARE WORTH:
⭐⭐⭐= €20 (HIGHLY CONFIDENT)
⭐⭐= €10 (CONFIDENT))
⭐= €5 (SOMEWHAT CONFIDENT)
Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
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