Club Leon will take on Urawa Red Diamonds in the second round of the Club World Cup. The two clubs will play for a spot in the semi-finals. Brazilian team Fluminense will be waiting for the victor after they arrive in Saudi Arabia.
Preview (Club Leon vs. Urawa Red Diamonds)
Despite not having won a Mexican first division championship since 2020, Club Leon will make their debut in the Club World Cup in 2023 after winning the CONCACAF Champions League the previous season. With a strong record, they progressed through North America’s top competition. They defeated Tauro of Panama 3-0 on aggregate in the round of 16. They then defeated Violette 6-2 over two legs to secure their place in the semi-finals. Victor Avila scored a brace. Angel Mena, Lucas Di Yorio, and Elias Hernandez also scored goals in their 5-0 victory.
Then, rivals Tigres stood in their way, and Nicolas Larcamon’s team advanced once more. They won three goals to one at home thanks to goals from Fideliz Ambriz, Mena, and Adonis Frias. They will play Los Angeles FC in a two-leg final in late May or early June. Despite losing 2-1 in the first leg away from home. Los Panzas Verdes, who had won the first game on home soil. They went into their trip to the USA with a 2-1 lead thanks to goals from Mena and William Tesillo. Club Leon would go on to win the trophy with a 3-1 aggregate victory. They capping the victory with a 1-0 victory in the second leg thanks to a goal from Di Yorio.
After winning the AFC Champions League for the third time in their history last year, Urawa Red Diamonds have qualified for the 2023 Club World Cup. They first advanced from their group in second place with 13 points from six games. They then defeated Johor Darul Ta’zim of Malaysia 5-0 to advance to the quarterfinals. Then, the Indonesian team BG Pathum United waited patiently as the Red Devils advanced once more. This time with a 4-0 victory. Later, they had to battle their way past Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors of South Korea to make it to the final. They ultimately prevailed in a penalty shootout following a 2-2 stalemate that lasted 120 minutes.
Team News
Club Leon’s starting lineup for this matchup should resemble that of their disastrous Liga MX Apertura second leg against Club America. Federico Vinas, who has scored eight goals in 16 games across all competitions this season, will almost certainly lead the line once again. One change might be to reintroduce Angel Mena to back the striker. The veteran and Ecuadorian international has contributed two goals and five assists this season, while Nicolas Lopez should round out the attacking group. Larcamon is unlikely to make any changes to the back three of William Tesillo, Paul Bellon, and Adonis Frias, although Ivan Moreno and Elias Hernandez will want to cause more issues from wing-back roles.
On Friday, Urawa Red Diamonds should line up in their preferred 4-2-3-1 formation once more. Veteran forwards Bryan Linssen and Josh Kante will likely compete to lead the line; the latter scored his fifth goal of the year in their most recent loss to Hanoi, while the former has nine goals in 35 appearances this season across all competitions. Ekanit Panya, who has been selected in the middle of a trio in recent weeks, will provide central support for whichever lone striker is used, while Yoshio Koizumi and Alex Schalk will try to hold onto their spots on the wings despite challenge from Takahiro Akimoto and Takahiro Sekine.
Ken Iwao is a mainstay in midfield and Kaito Yasui should return to join him. Meanwhile, Marcus Hoibraten is expected to make a comeback and reunite with Alexander Scholz, who is tied with Kante for the team lead in goals scored with nine this season, at center back.
Club Leon 2-1 Urawa Red Diamonds
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