Manchester City will take on Fluminese in the final of the Club World Cup on Friday. In the semi-final match, the current Copa Libertadores champions overcame Al Ahly of Egypt. The reigning Champions League victors defeated Urawa Red Diamonds of Japan to proceed to the main event.
Preview (Manchester City vs. Fluminense)
Man City persevered and defeated Urawa Red Diamonds 3-0 in the semi-finals on Tuesday. It secured safe passage to the Club World Cup final in their inaugural tournament. This came after the team had struggled at home, winning just one of their previous six Premier League games. After a first-half battle to get past Urawa’s low block, the Citizens eventually took the lead. Mateo Kovacic and Bernardo Silva’s second-half goals then helped Pep Guardiola’s team cruise to victory.
The Citizens are now on the verge of making even more history. They are just one match away from becoming the first English club to win five trophies in a calendar year. If Man City wins on Friday, they will also become the first English team to enjoy success in their first participation in the competition, joining Manchester United (2008), Liverpool (2019), and Chelsea (2021) as the only other English teams to win the Club World Cup.
Only Carlo Ancelotti has won more Club World Cups as a manager than Guardiola, who has hoisted the title three times while managing former clubs Bayern Munich and Barcelona (twice). To “create an environment” that would put his Man City players in the correct frame of mind for another historic occasion in the club’s history on Friday, the Catalan coach has pushed his players to get as much rest as possible before their match against Fluminense. After defeating Al Ahly 2-0 in the semifinals, Fluminense has secured their spot in the Club World Cup final. It comes just seven weeks after winning the Copa Libertadores for the first time in their 121-year existence.
Team News
The three Man City players—Erling Haaland (foot), Kevin De Bruyne (hamstring), and Jeremy Doku (muscle)—have resumed training, but they will not be able to play in Friday’s championship match since only the 23 players from the same squad that were chosen for the semi-finals are allowed to participate in the main event. Meanwhile, Kovacic and Matheus Nunes made an impact in midfield on Tuesday.
But Nunes might be the one to give up so that Julian Alvarez can start at the front. Jack Grealish is on the left and Bernardo Silva and Phil Foden returning to advanced midfield positions. Given Fluminense’s perfect health, Diniz is probably going to stick with the starting lineup. The 43-year-old goalie Fabio will make history by being the oldest player to play in a Club World Cup final.
Former Real Madrid left-back Marcelo is expected to become the second player after Toni Kroos (six) to appear in five Club World Cup finals, while forty-year-old defender Felipe Melo is expected to become the oldest outfield player in the final, most likely partnering Nino at center-back. In the engine room, Matheus Martinelli is expected to work closely with in-demand midfielder André, who has been linked to a move to the Premier League. German forward Cano, who has scored an incredible 40 goals in 59 games for Fluminense in 2023, could be supported in attack by Arias, Ganso, and Keno.
Manchester City 3-1 Fluminense
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