Manchester City are aiming to capture their fourth title of 2023 when they take on Copa Libertadores champions Fluminense in the 2023 FIFA Club World Cup final.
City’s Champions League success ensured they qualified for this competition, and Pep Guardiola’s side cruised past Urawa Red Diamonds in the semi-final despite their recent domestic indifference.
They’ll become the fourth Premier League club to lift the Club World Cup should they down Fernando Diniz’s enterprising outfit on Friday – Liverpool and Chelsea have both won the world title since 2019.
Fluminense claimed their maiden Libertadores victory in November and progressed into Friday’s final following a comfortable 2-0 win over Al Ahly.
Here’s 90min’s preview of the 2023 Club World Cup final between Man City and Fluminense.
Man City vs Fluminense H2H record
This will be the first competitive meeting between the two clubs.
Current form (all competitions)
|
Country |
TV channel/live stream |
|---|---|
|
United Kingdom |
discovery+, TNT Sports 1, discovery+ App |
|
United States |
N/A |
|
Canada |
N/A |
Man City confirmed lineup vs Fluminense (4-2-3-1): Ederson; Walker, Stones, Dias, Ake; Rodri, Lewis; Bernardo, Foden, Grealish; Alvarez.
Fluminense confirmed lineup vs Man City (4-2-3-1): Fabio; Xavier, Nino, Melo, Marcelo; Andre, Martinelli; Arias, Ganso, Keno; Cano.
Friday’s final will be laden with tactical intrigue given Diniz’s reputation of developing ‘appositional play’ which contrast Guardiola’s more rigid ideals in possession.
There’s a certain chaos surrounding Dinizismo which City might find tough counter-acting, and the vulnerabilities they’ve manifested ahead of their trip to Saudi Arabia suggests Flu will have some success against the European champions.
This is bound to be a fascinating occasion that’ll likely be decided by a goal either way. Given what they’ve achieved in 2023, it’d be hard to write off Guardiola’s men.
Prediction: Man City 2-1 Fluminense
READ THE LATEST MAN CITY NEWS, TRANSFER RUMOURS & GOSSIP
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at 90min EN…