Urawa Red Diamonds vs Monterrey Preview

Monterrey face Urawa Red Diamonds with their Club World Cup destiny in their own hands - should they beat the Japanese side, they will sit on five points, enough to displace one of Champions League finalists Inter Milan and South American giants River Plate, depending on the result between the two sides on Thursday.

Having drawn to both in their opening two games, their easiest group fixture poses as a make or break clash - but Urawa, who now cannot qualify for the round of 16, are looking for their first points of the tournament, and will be a tough proposition for the Mexican side.

As Group E draws to a close in dramatic fashion, here is everything you need to know about both sides ahead of kick-off.

Where to Watch

This game will be broadcasted on DAZN, with kick-off scheduled for 2:00 AM (GMT) on Thursday.

Key Statistics

• Monterrey boast the most successful tackles per game at the CWC, tied at the top with fellow Group E side River Plate on 15.
• However, their attack must improve - Urawa Reds have scored more goals than the Mexican side despite losing both fixtures so far.
• Urawa, who currently sit sixth in the J. League, have the second best defensive record of any side at the bottom of their group, conceding just five.
• This stems from their league campaign, where they boast the third fewest goals conceded (20).

Urawa Red Diamonds Preview

Urawa Red Diamonds Predicted Lineup (4-2-3-1): Shusaka Nishkawa (GK); Yoichi Naganuma, Marius Hoibraten, Danilo Boza, Hirokazu Ishihara; Samuel Gustafson, Kaito Yasui; Ryoma Watanabe, Matheus Savio, Takuro Kaneko; Yusuke Matsuo.

In truth, Urawa can count themselves a little unfortunate to have been effectively eliminated from the tournament already. Despite the obvious gulf between themselves and their fellow Group E sides, the Japanese team has earned respect for their performances.

Indeed, Inter Milan required a 92nd minute winner to beat the Diamonds in their last game - though they faced 26 shots, and had just 18% of the possession, they defended admirably, throwing bodies in the way of anything and everything.

Though they can no longer make it through to the last 16, Urawa have showed that Japanese football has plenty of potential - perhaps at the next edition of the CWC, the nation will be able to seriously compete for a spot in the knockout rounds.

Monterrey Preview

Monterrey Predicted Lineup (3-5-2): Esteban Andrada (GK); Victor Guzman, Sergio Ramos, John Medina; Gerardo Arteaga, Oliver Torres, Jorge Rodriguez, Sergio Canales, Ricardo Chavez; Lucas Ocampos, German Berterame.

Monterrey will be more than happy with their work after the first two group fixtures. They took a point from the two of Europe and South America’s biggest teams, and have left themselves in arguably the strongest position to qualify.

Inter Milan and River Plate are effectively battling for a single qualification spot, as Monterrey are heavy favourites to beat Urawa and seal second place. It is easy to see why - the Mexican side boasts a host of former European talent, including Real Madrid legend Sergio Ramos and former Monaco and Sevilla striker Lucas Ocampos.

While there have already been a number of shock results at this tournament already, we don’t see one materialising here - Urawa will fight hard until the end, Monterrey have too much quality in their squad to fail to convert this opportunity.

Urawa Red Diamonds vs Monterrey Head to Head

As with many Club World Cup fixtures, this game marks the first time the two sides have played each other, and it will be fascinating for the neutral observer to see how each side deals with the other.

Urawa Red Diamonds vs Monterrey Betting Tip

It would be a wonderful story if the underdogs came away with a shock win here - and it wouldn’t have been the first time at the tournament: Botafogo beating PSG, Inter Miami beating Porto, and Flamengo beating Chelsea spring to mind.

But Monterrey have players of real quality all over the pitch, something Urawa Red Diamonds, however much they may insist, do not have.

That is why our experts have decided that the best tip for this game is to back Monterrey to win. Odds of 1.65 on Highbet mean that a £10 stake would return £16.50 should the bet come off.

Urawa Red Diamonds vs Monterrey Prediction

Urawa Red Diamonds 1-3 Monterrey

Japanese football appears to be gaining momentum, and very soon some big name players will make the leap to the Pacific coast. But for now, Urawa can only hang on against even the lesser sides from Europe and the Americas.