Manager Pep Guardiola emphasizes that Manchester City’s players are presented with a “once-in-a-lifetime” chance as they prepare to take on Brazil’s Fluminense in the Club World Cup final.
Guardiola’s squad breezed through the semi-final against Urawa Red Diamonds on Tuesday, paving the way for a showdown with the South American champions in Saudi Arabia on Friday.
City aims to join the ranks of Manchester United, Liverpool, and Chelsea as the fourth English club to clinch the title.
“The players know how important it is for the club,” said Guardiola.
“To be in this final, you have to do incredible things like win the Champions League. This may be the only time we play this in our lifetime.
“We are there. We will try to win a title we don’t have and finish the circle.”
The Spaniard, having previously claimed the title twice as the Barcelona boss and once during his three-year tenure at Bayern Munich, appears to have favorable odds of adding to his collection, particularly after City’s comfortable victory over Asian champions Urawa.
Urawa demonstrated defensive resilience until the stroke of halftime when defender Marius Hoibraten inadvertently turned Matheus Nunes’ cross into his own net. The dynamics shifted in the second half, with Mateo Kovacic swiftly scoring City’s second, exploiting the absent Urawa defense to connect with Kyle Walker’s pass and lift the ball past goalkeeper Shusaku Nishikawa.
Bernardo Silva, the Portuguese midfielder, secured City’s third before the hour mark, guiding his shot low into the bottom right corner after international teammate Nunes’ attempt was blocked by Nishikawa.
City’s margin of victory could have been more substantial, with Nunes, Jack Grealish, and second-half substitutes Oscar Bobb and Julian Alvarez all failing to convert promising opportunities.
Brazil’s Fluminense secured a 2-0 victory over Al Ahly in the first semi-final on Monday. City’s win sets the stage for the 13th meeting between the champions of Europe and their South American counterparts in the showcase match since 2005.
Man City on course to close the circle
Having secured victories in the Premier League, Champions League, FA Cup, and UEFA Super Cup, Guardiola previously highlighted this competition as an opportunity to “complete the circle” by winning all possible trophies. As they prepare to face their Rio de Janeiro opponents later this week at the King Abdullah Sports City in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, Guardiola’s team is undoubtedly the favored side.
Fluminense, however, is expected to present a more challenging opposition than Urawa. While Urawa displayed defensive discipline until falling behind, they struggled to generate attacking momentum. The contrast in class was evident when Urawa boss Maciej Skorza brought on former Ross County forward Alex Schalk in an attempt to change the game.
In contrast, Guardiola had a formidable lineup on the bench, including Alvarez, Ruben Dias, Josko Gvardiol, and the out-of-favor Kalvin Phillips. Additionally, Nunes, a £53 million summer acquisition from Wolves, individually cost City more than it took to assemble the entire Urawa squad.
Despite the continued absence of prolific players Erling Haaland and midfield playmaker Kevin de Bruyne, Guardiola’s team looks formidable as they approach the opportunity to secure their fifth trophy of the calendar year.