We are now in the Semi-final stages of the FIFA Club World Cup. The second match of this stage is between the English side Manchester City and the Japanese side Urawa Red Diamonds. The highly anticipated match is scheduled to happen on the 19th of December 2023 at 18:00 UTC.

Urawa Red Diamonds on their journey to the semi-finals had to defeat Leon in Round Two. Meanwhile, Manchester City, following their UEFA Champions League triumph, are directly seeded into the semifinals.

Expected starting lineups for Manchester City and Urawa Red Diamonds

For the match, fans expect Manchester City to deploy their favored 4-2-3-1 formation.

Manchester City- Ederson; Walker Diaz Ake Gvardiol; Rodri Kovacic; Silva, Foden, Grealish; Alvarez

Urawa Red Diamonds are also likely to adopt a 4-2-3-1 formation, which they have utilized throughout the competition.

Urawa Red Diamonds- Nishikawa; Sakai, Scholz, Hoibraten, Ogiwara; Iwao, Ito; Schalk, Yasui, Koizumi; Kante

Injury updates for both teams

As for injuries, Manchester City has been hit hard and will be missing out on some key players for the match. Pep Guardiola will have to make do without Erling Haaland, who is still recovering from an ankle injury. Furthermore, Kevin De Bruyne will also be absent due to a thigh injury, which has kept him out of action for the past three months. In addition, Jeremy Doku will also be unavailable due to muscle issues.

Injuries have also affected Urawa Red Diamonds. In their Round Two match, Takahiro Akimoto, Takahiro Sekine, and Tomoaki Okubo all suffered injuries and had to be substituted. The availability of these players for the upcoming clash is yet to be confirmed.

Predictions for the Semi-final matchup

Before delving into the match prediction, let’s analyze the performance of both teams in their previous ten matches.

Manchester City – DWWLDWDDWW

Urawa Red Diamond – WLWWLLLLDL

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Based on these results, there is a noticeable gap between the capabilities of these two teams. On top of that, Manchester City is currently one of the best teams globally, having achieved a treble-winning season. Considering these factors, our prediction for the match is a dominating 4-0 victory for Manchester City.

How to Watch Manchester City vs Urawa Red Diamond

For global viewers, FIFA+ will be broadcasting the match on their streaming service, providing fans with free access to the game. Additionally, viewers in the UK will have the option to watch the match on TNT Sports, a paid subscription service. Fans in India can also catch the action live on Eurosport.

Now all that is left is to wait for the semi-final match and to witness who progresses to the finals. Who do you think will win the match? Let us know in the comments.

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