River Plate vs Urawa Reds Preview: Team News & Prediction | 2025 FIFA Club World Cup | Group Stage
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South American football giants River Plate kick off their 2025 FIFA Club World Cup campaign against AFC representative Urawa Reds
Kick-off date/time:
How to watch on TV & online: UK – DAZN / US – DAZN
River Plate team news: Mastantuono farewell
The key news in the River Plate camp is that 17-year-old Argentine sensation Franco Mastantuono will line up for River Plate ahead of his agreed move to Real Madrid in July.
Centre-back Gonzalez Pirez is a minor injury concern, while Agustin Ruberto misses out with a long-term injury.
Predicted XI (4-3-3): Armani; Montiel, Martinez, Diaz, Acuna; Castano, Perez, Meza; Mastantuono, Driussi, Colidio
Unavailable: Ruberto (Injured)
Questionable: Pirez (Injured)
Urawa Reds team news: Shibato out
Midfielder Kai Shibato has not recovered from injury in time to feature in Urawa’s opener, but there are no other injuries reported in the Japanese side’s camp.
Ryoma Watanabe leads the line for the Diamonds; the 28-year-old has struck six times in the J1 League this year.
Predicted XI (4-2-3-1): Nishikawa; Ishihara, Ogiwara, Gustafson, Boza; Holbraten, Kaneko; Yasui, Matsuo, Savio; Watanabe
Unavailable: Shibato (Injured)
Questionable:
Key stats
- River Plate have amassed an astounding total of honours, both domestically and internationally. Their tally includes a record 38 Argentinian league titles and four CONMEBOL Copa Libertadores successes.
- River’s place at the Club World Cup was achieved via the ranking pathway. Although they have not won the CONMEBOL Copa Libertadores since 2018, they are regulars at the latter stages of the competition and reached the semi-finals in 2024.
- River Plate’s quest for fifth CONMEBOL Copa Libertadores title is still alive in the 2025 competition. They qualified from their group without losing a match (W3 D3) and will face Paraguayan side Libertad in the round of 16 in August.
- River Plate’s sporting director Enzo Francescoli – the legendary Uruguayan playmaker – had two spells with the club, the pinnacle being when he captained the team to success in the 1996 Copa Libertadores.
- River Plate head coach Marcelo Gallardo was in the Argentina squad for the 2002 FIFA World Cup but did not play in any of his country’s three games in Japan.
- River have faced Japanese opposition twice in FIFA showpiece tournaments, beating both Sanfrecce Hiroshima – 1-0 in the 2015 semi-finals – and Kashima Antlers – 4-0 in the 2018 third place play-off of the what is now known as the FIFA Intercontinental Cup™.
- River defeated Japanese team Gamba Osaka 3-0 in August 2015 in the J.League Cup / Copa Sudamericana Championship – a challenge match between the winners of the previous season's J. League Cup and Copa Sudamericana (the annual match was contested between 2008 and 2019).
- River Plate have four FIFA World Cup™ winners in their playing ranks, with Marcos Acuña, Franco Armani, Gonzalo Montiel and Germán Pezzella all members of Argentina’s successful squad at Qatar 2022.
- Paraguayan midfielder Matías Rojas scored nine goals in 20 competitive appearances for MLS team Inter Miami in an impressive campaign in 2024 prior to joining River Plate.
- Urawa Reds are the only Japanese club to have won the AFC Champions League on multiple occasions – they have three titles to their name. Five other teams from the country have won it once.
- Urawa’s success in the 2022 AFC Champions League secured their ticket to the FIFA Club World Cup 2025™. They edged out Saudi Arabia’s Al Hilal 2-1 on aggregate in a two-legged final, securing the title with a 1-0 home win in the second leg after a 1-1 draw in Riyadh.
- Urawa have played eight matches in FIFA club competitions – more than any other Japanese team – but this is their first against a South American opponent. They did defeat Brazilian club Chapecoense 1-0 in 2017 in the J.League Cup / Copa Sudamericana Championship – a challenge match between the winners of the previous season's J. League Cup and Copa Sudamericana (the annual match was contested between 2008 and 2019).
- Urawa’s goalkeeper-captain Shusaku Nishikawa was voted into the official J. League/J1 League Best XI five years in a row from 2012-16 and again in 2023.
- Urawa midfielder Takeshi Wada, who only turned 16 on 5 June, is the youngest player at the tournament.
River Plate vs Urawa Reds prediction
Ten years on from finishing as runners-up in the 2015 FIFA Club World Cup, River Plate – also Intercontinental Cup champions in 1986 – are one of two Argentine clubs featuring in the revamped tournament, and qualified via the ranking pathway.
The most successful club in Argentine football history, this is arguably River Plate’s easiest fixture in Group E, with contests against Mexican powerhouses Monterrey and European giants Inter to come.
Urawa Reds won the AFC Champions League in 2022, which is what ultimately secured their place in the Club World Cup. Their recent form doesn’t exactly inspire confidence though, as they are fourth in the J1 League and have won just one of their last four domestic games.
River Plate are a historical club built on success and their fans will be demanding a positive start to their tournament. Their intensity is likely to be too much for their Japanese opponents, with three points expected for the South American side.
River Plate vs Urawa Reds tip: River Plate to win
