Preview of the Match
The 2023 FIFA Club World Cup final will pit Manchester City, the 2023 Copa Libertadores winners, against Fluminense, the winners of the 2023 Premier League, FA Cup, and UEFA Champions League. The match will take place at King Abdullah Sports City in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on Friday.
Following Tuesday’s semifinal victory over Urawa Red Diamonds, Pep Guardiola emphasized the significance of Man City’s match against Chelsea (2021), Liverpool (2019), and Manchester United (2008), who are the only other English clubs to have won the FIFA Club World Cup.
The Spaniard claimed, “The players understand how important it is for the club.” “You have to accomplish amazing feats, like winning the Champions League, to be in this final. We might only get to play this once in our lifetime.
Guardiola will be making his fourth appearance in the FIFA Club World Cup final as a manager. He has won the trophy three times, with Barcelona in 2009, 2011 and Bayern Munich in 2013. In those editions, he has prevailed in all seven of his matches.
Brazilian clubs have only won four FIFA Club World Cup titles, compared to eight for Spanish clubs; however, Corinthians was the last Brazilian team to win the title in 2012. when they defeated Chelsea, a Premier League team, 1-0 in the championship game. Europe has emerged victorious from its last 21 FIFA Club World Cup games, dating back to that 1-0 loss by Chelsea to Corinthians eleven years ago. However, English teams have lost three of the four Club World Cup matches played by European clubs: Vasco da Gama 1-0 Manchester United in 2000, São Paulo 1-0 Liverpool in 2005, and Corinthians 1-0 Chelsea in 2012.
Current Form
Man City has only triumphed in four of their previous nine competitive games coming into this game. They defeated Urawa Red Diamonds with ease on Tuesday, but their current roster does have weaknesses, as evidenced by their draws against Chelsea, Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur, and Crystal Palace, as well as their loss to Aston Villa on the road on December 6. The fact that they have missed the last four games without their leading scorer, Erling Haaland, has made matters worse.
In their resounding 25-2 victory over Urawa Reds in the semifinals, City didn’t allow the Japanese team to score a single goal on goal. Following an own goal by Marius Høibråten to tie the score at the end of the first half, goals from Mateo Kovacic and Bernardo Silva in the second half guaranteed City’s spot in Friday’s championship game.
In the 95th minute of last Saturday’s 2-2 draw with Crystal Palace at the Etihad Stadium, a penalty kick by Michael Olise allowed City to equalize. They had a two-goal lead with 14 minutes to go thanks to goals from Rico Lewis and Jack Grealish, but they allowed it to slip and are now five points off the top of the Premier League standings.
Fluminense’s 2023 Brasileirão season was lackluster; they finished seventh, 14 points behind the eventual league winners Palmeiras. However, in November, they defeated Argentine powerhouse Boca Juniors 2-1 in extra time to win the 2023 Copa Libertadores in their own stadium, the Maracanã. They won their first-ever Copa Libertadores championship, which allowed them to get into the Club World Cup in Saudi Arabia.
They defeated Al Ahly, an Egyptian team, 2-0 in the semifinals thanks to goals from John Kennedy and Jhon Arias. It was their first victory in competition since November 29. Prior to that, they had lost their last two games in the Brazilian top division against Grêmio and Palmeiras.
Squads for Manchester City vs. Fluminense
City of Manchester
Ederson, John Stones, Jack Grealish, Rodri, Stefan Ortega, Julián Álvarez, Bernardo Silva, Sergio Gómez, Joško Gvardiol, Manuel Akanji, Matheus Nunes, Scott Carson, Phil Foden, Oscar Bobb, Max Alleyne, Mahamadou Susoho, Rico Lewis, and Micah Hamilton.
Head coach: Pep Guardiola
Fluminense
Felipe Melo, Nino, Yony González, Barbosa, David Braz, Lima, Vitor Eudes; Fábio, Samuel Xavier, Marlon, André, Matheus Martinelli, John Kennedy; Ganso, Keno, Marcelo; Germán Cano, Danielzinho; Jhon Arias; Pedro Rangel; Guga; Thiago Santos; John Kennedy; etc.
Head coach: Fernando Diniz
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