Urawa vs Man City Prediction and Betting Tips: Side with City to Win to Nil in Club World Cup clash

Manchester City make their debut in the Club World Cup on Tuesday. Pep Guardiola’s side will take on Urawa Red Diamonds, with the game taking place in Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah Stadium kicking off at 6pm GMT. Read below about our best bets for the semi-final.

This will be only the second ever competitive meeting between a Japanese and an English club, after Man United’s 5-3 FIFA Club World Cup semi-final win over Gamba Osaka back in 2008.

Urawa Red Diamonds were the winners of the Asian Champions League last year, defeating Al-Hilal in the two legged-final which gave them a place at this tournament. The Japanese side came out 1-0 winners against Mexican outfit Leon on Friday to set up this showcase fixture against the European Champions and can be backed at 14/1 to claim a historic victory.

After throwing away a two goal lead against Crystal Palace on Saturday, Manchester City have now only won one of their last six league matches. The treble winners have slipped to fourth in the English top-flight and are now five points behind Arsenal as they go in search of their fourth consecutive Premier League title.

Manchester City are the short-priced odds-on favourites to come out victorious against Urawa in Saudi Arabia at just 1/7 in the match result market. With this in mind we much prefer the 5/6 that is on offer for the Cityzens to win the match to Nil.

There is no denying there is a huge gap in quality between this pair and the Japanese outfit will see this as a serious opportunity to impress on a global stage. A second-string is very much expected to be named by Pep Guardiola with the hectic festive schedule ahead, but with the likes of Mateo Kovacic, Matheus Nunes, and Julian Alvarez all expected to be named in the starting XI they will still have more than enough to control the ball and play this one as somewhat of an exhibition match. This should present City with a good chance to record a clean sheet that has eluded them in recent weeks. 

 One player who should benefit from some rotation within the Man City ranks is Oscar Bobb. The 20-year-old has already scored in the Champions League for his employers this season as well as when on international duty for his native Norway. An exciting talent who looks like an attractive proposition to find the net on Tuesday at 7/4 with bet365, while the majority of the other trusted betting sites go considerably shorter at around even money.