Inter Milan vs Urawa Reds
Inter Milan’s 2025 Club World Cup campaign is off to an underwhelming start under new head coach Cristian Chivu, who replaced Simone Inzaghi (who took the Al-Hilal job) recently. In Chivu’s first official game at the helm, the Nerazzurri settled for a 1-1 draw against Monterrey yesterday at Rose Bowl.
With the draw, Inter Milan are third in Group E with one point, level with second-seeded Monterrey and two points adrift of top-seeded River Plate, who defeated the Urawa Reds 3-1 last night. Chivu’s men are in a must-win situation when they face the Urawa Reds this Saturday night at Lumen Field to avoid further embarrassment.
The Urawa Reds are not expected to do much in this tournament, but a win or a draw against Inter Milan could give them some hope. Maciej Skorża’s side will be keen to prove doubters wrong this weekend.
Learn more about these two teams in today’s SBOTOP preview.
Talking Points
Inter Milan have valid fitness concerns
Cristian Chivu chalked it up to their lack of fitness as the main reason in their 1-1 draw against Monterrey. Inter Milan looked flat at the beginning of the match, which is why they conceded a goal from Sergio Ramos before Lautaro Martinez scored the equalizer three minutes before halftime.
Inter Milan were coming off a loss against PSG in the Champions League final less than three weeks ago, and they just changed coaches, so they didn’t have enough time to recharge their batteries. Chivu will miss the services of several key players against the Urawa Reds, as Hakan Calhanoglu, Mehdi Taremi, Yann Bisseck, and Denzel Dumfries are not 100 percent fit.
Chivu went with Sebastiano Esposito and Lautaro Martinez leading their frontline. Marcus Thuram replaced Esposito before the hour mark because the 22-year-old limped off the pitch, only for Thuram to pick up a new injury himself.
With Marko Arnautovic and Joaquin Correa having left the club, Inter Milan lack depth in the final third, and they must reinforce their frontline this summer.
Meanwhile, Inter Milan saw a mixed bag from their newest signings, Luis Henrique and Petar Sucic. Henrique looked comfortable in his 32-minute cameo when he replaced Benjamin Pavard, while Sucic struggled in a three-man midfield setup after he replaced Kristjan Asllani.
Urawa Reds must be disciplined
The Urawa Reds experienced all sorts of problems on the defensive end during yesterday’s loss against River Plate. Don’t be surprised if Maciej Skorża’s side deploys a low block to counterattack if Inter Milan make mistakes, since they also lack firepower compared to their Serie A counterparts.
Unlike the Nerazzurri, the J-League outfit doesn’t have fresh injury worries ahead of this weekend. However, Samuel Gustafson and Ryoma Watanabe are one yellow card away from suspension after they got one each against River Plate. Watanabe is keen to create new Club World Cup 2025 highlights for his club. The 28-year-old forward is the Urawa Reds’ top scorer with six league goals and one assist so far this term.
History
Saturday marks the first-ever competitive meeting between Inter Milan and the Urawa Reds. The Urawa Reds are seeking their first Club World Cup title, while Inter Milan have already won it before in 2010, beating TP Mazembe 3-0 in the final. On the other hand, the Urawa Reds finished third in 2007 and finished fourth in the previous edition of the competition in 2023, when Manchester City won.
Real Madrid are the winningest team in Club World Cup history with five trophies, followed by Barcelona (3), Corinthians (2), and Bayern Munich (2). Like Inter Milan, Liverpool, Chelsea, Sao Paulo, Internacional, AC Milan, Manchester United, and Manchester City have won one each.
Betting Tip
The Club World Cup 2025 odds expect Cristian Chivu to notch his first win as Inter Milan manager this Saturday. The Nerazzurri are 1.19 favorites to win, whereas the Urawa Reds are massive 10.00 underdogs, and a draw is at 6.10 in the 1X2 market.
We’d like to believe Inter Milan have learned from their setback against Monterrey, so they’ll unload on the Urawa Reds. Besides our recommended bet, bettors can also go for alternatives like Over 3.00 at 1.75, Over 3.25 at 2.00, Over 3.50 at 2.25, and Total Goal 4-6 at 2.41, with Total Goals 2-3 at 2.23 being the more conservative choice. Meanwhile, any Correct Score that’s a draw could yield a tempting payday, with Correct Scores of 0-0 and 1-1 offering 22.00 and 13.00 your bet.
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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