
Manchester City will aim to be among the Club World Cup winners list when they square off with Fluminense at the King Abdullah Sports City Stadium on Friday night.
The Citizens beat Urawa Red Diamonds in the semi-final, while the reigning Copa Libertadores holders defeated Saudi outfit Al Ahly to make it thus far in the competition.
Match Preview
Manchester City shrugged off their poor Premier League form to ease past Urawa Red Diamonds in the Club World Cup semi-final on Tuesday.
The Japanese side set themselves to absorb the pressure and initially succeeded in keeping the scoreline 0-0.
But an own-goal from Marius Hoibraten broke the deadlock on the stroke of half-time. Mateo Kovacic and Bernardo Silva added two more in the second-half as City sealed a 3-0 success in Jeddah.
This year has proved to be very successful for Pep Guardiola’s side as they have claimed the continental treble followed by the UEFA Super Cup triumph.
Now they are just one game away from becoming the first English club to win five trophies in a calendar year.
Manchester United, Chelsea and Liverpool have the distinction of winning the Club World Cup, and now City have the chance to become the fourth English side to do so.
Standing in their way on Friday will be the current Copa Libertadores champions Fluminense.
The Brazilian outfit ran out 2-0 winners against Al Ahly earlier this week to qualify for the final.
Both sides failed to break the deadlock until the 71st minute when Jhon Arias found the target from the penalty spot.
Then, John Kennedy left the substitutes’ bench to add another, helping his side win comfortably.
Team News
In a big boost for Manchester City, Erling Haaland, Kevin de Bruyne and Jeremy Doku have all returned to training. But because they were not part of the squad for the semi-final, they will not be eligible to play on Friday.
As for Fluminense, they have no notable absentees due to injury issues, and so manager Fernando Diniz is likely to feature the same team that won against Al Ahly.
Manchester City vs Fluminense potential line-ups
Manchester City: Ederson; Walker, Stones, Dias, Gvardiol; Rodri, Kovacic; Bernardo, Foden, Grealish; Alvarez
Fluminense: Fabio; Xavier, Nino, Melo, Marcelo; Andre, Martinelli; Arias, Ganso, Keno; Cano
Manchester City vs Fluminense prediction
City will not have the services of Haaland, De Bruyne and Doku, but Pep Guardiola still has a lot of quality players at his disposal. Fluminense’s firepower means they should be able to score a goal, but the Citizens are expected to win the Club World Cup final on Friday.
Manchester City 2-1 Fluminense
