Manchester City were tied with Crystal Palace in the last round of the league
At 2 o’clock in the morning on December 20th, Beijing time, in the semi-finals of the Club World Cup, at the King Abdullah Sports City in Saudi Arabia, the AFC Champions League Urawa Red Diamonds will challenge the Champions League Champions Manchester City. There is a clear gap in strength between the two sides. The relevant agencies have offered an odds combination of 14.2 (Urawa) 7.2 (draw) 1.15 (Manchester City) for this game. There is almost no suspense about the outcome!
In the Club World Cup in recent years, Asian teams have frequently entered the top four, and even Riyadh Crescent and Kashima Antlers have reached the finals. In the last round of competition, Urawa Red Diamonds defeated North American champion Leon 1-0 to advance to the top four and get the opportunity to challenge Manchester City. It should be noted that although Urawa reached the top four in the Club World Cup, their performance in other competitions was mediocre. They missed the group stage in the AFC Champions League and became the third defending champion in history to be eliminated in the group stage. They also performed in domestic leagues and cups. No grains were harvested. In addition, this game is the last game for the team coach Scorza. He has decided not to renew his contract with the team and will leave the team after the season. He expressed his hope to bid farewell to Urawa with a victory.
Manchester City has been in poor form recently. They were tied 2-2 by Crystal Palace at home in the last round of the Premier League. They have only won 1 game in the past 6 league games. However, facing Asian teams, the difference in hard power can ignore the team’s state. Judging from the last game against Crystal Palace, Manchester City had a ball possession rate of 74%, 19 shots, and a pass success rate of 92%. They still suppressed the game, but they were slightly less lucky. After the game, Manchester City flew directly to Saudi Arabia to prepare for the game. Judging from the list announced by the team, De Bruyne and Haaland, who were previously injured, were among them.
As the champions of the Champions League, Manchester City directly advanced to the semi-finals of the Club World Cup. This is also the first time in the history of the team to participate in this event; and the team coach Guardiola has participated in the competition for the fourth time. He has led Barcelona (2 times) and 3 times before. Bayern won the championship and is currently the coach who has won the most Club World Cup titles.
Manchester City’s winning odds are as low as 1.15 to 1, and there will still be a downward trend in the future. However, Blue Moon is currently under great pressure in the league and is also troubled by injuries. Some of the main players may be rotated in this game. The Premier League is about to enter the Christmas schedule. If all goes well, the team will have many games to play in the second half of December and will have to consider the future, but there should be no suspense about winning this game.