Inter Milan vs Urawa Reds Preview: Team News & Prediction | 2025 FIFA Club World Cup | Group Stage
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Internazionale could do with a performance and a result this week as they now take on what does appear to be quite a weak Urawa Red Diamonds side in their second outing.
Kick-off date/time:
How to watch on TV & online: UK – DAZN & Channel 5 / US – DAZN
Inter Milan team news: Several injuries
Inter have several injury issues for this one with now doubtful Sebastiano Esposito starting their opener due to Marcus Thuram still an injury doubt, whilst Mehdi Taremi has had to stay in Iran due to the conflict between Iran and Israel.
Predicted XI (3-5-2): Sommer; Pavard, Acerbi, Bastoni; Darmian, Barella, Asllani, Mkhitaryan, Carlos Augusto; Lautaro Martinez, Esposito
Unavailable: Bisseck (Injured), Zielinski (Injured), Taremi (Personal reasons)
Questionable: Dumfries (Injured), Calhanoglu (Injured), Frattesi (Injured), Thuram (Injured), S. Esposito (Injured)
Urawa Reds team news: Fully fit
The Urawa Red Diamonds have a fully fit and available squad for their second game of the competition, albeit they could well make changes after what was a poor performance in a 3-1 loss to River Plate the other day.
Predicted XI (4-2-3-1): Nishikawa; Ishihara, Boza, Hoibraten, Naganuma; Gustafson, Yasui; Kaneko, Savio, Watanabe; Matsuo
Unavailable:
Questionable:
Key stats
- This is Inter’s first FIFA club competition match against a Japanese team. Their only previous fixture against an Asian team was a 3-0 victory against Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma from Korea Republic in the semi-finals of what is now known as the FIFA Intercontinental Cup™ in 2010. Inter’s head coach Cristian Chivu featured in that match.
- Urawa have played nine matches in FIFA club competitions – more than any other Japanese team.
- Urawa’s only previous FIFA club competition match against an Italian team was a 1-0 defeat to Inter’s city rivals AC Milan 1-0 in the semi-finals of what is now known as the FIFA Intercontinental Cup™ in 2007.
- Inter have lost just one of their last eight matches in all competitions (W4 D3 L1).
- Inter are unbeaten in their last seven competitive matches against non-European teams (W5 D2 L0).
- Urawa’s Swedish midfielder Samuel Gustafson played in Italy’s Serie A for Torino (2016-19) and in Serie B for Perugia (2017/18 loan), Verona (2018/19 loan) and Cremonese (2019-21).
- Inter head coach Cristian Chivu captained Romania against Japan in a 1-1 friendly match draw in October 2003 in Bucharest.
- Yūto Nagatomo – Japan’s second most-capped player with 142 appearances – played for Inter for seven years from 2011 to 2018 featuring in 210 games for the club. *Note: He is not a Urawa player but has been added as an interesting fact.
- Inter have two FIFA World Cup™ winners in their playing squad. Their captain Lautaro Martínez was victorious with Argentina in 2022 and Benjamin Pavard won the global showpiece with France in 2018.
Inter Milan vs Urawa Reds prediction
Internazionale were on for the treble in the spring but finished up with no trophies and their humiliation against Paris Saint-Germain in the UEFA Champions League final was followed by the departure of Simone Inzaghi and the appointment of Cristian Chivu. They shared a 1-1 draw with Monterrey in their opening game of this tournament.
They now face a Urawa Red Diamonds side that have certainly declined since they qualified for the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup a couple of years ago. The Japanese outfit were fortunate to only suffer a 3-1 loss to River Plate in Seattle the other day in a game in which they were comprehensively outplayed.
The Urawa Reds appear some way off the average standard of this tournament and Inter, despite their issues, should get the first victory of the Chivu era this week.
Inter Milan vs Urawa Reds tip: Inter Milan to win
