European Champions League runner-up Inter Milan will play in Group E, fighting against Riverbed, Monterrey, Urawa Red Diamonds. After suffering a painful blow in the Champions League final, Inter Milan needs to get out of the shadow as soon as possible. This Club World Cup is a good opportunity for the team to regain confidence.
Team introduction: Inter Milan leads four strong teams
Second consecutively ranked second in Serie A and Champions League, which has caused a significant blow to Inter Milan, and the prospects of the team’s coach Inzagi are also confusing. Inter Milan won the Club World Cup in 2010, but since then, Nerazuri has never been able to participate in the event again. Argentina’s giants River Plate is Inter Milan’s main competitor. The team stopped in the quarterfinals in the Argentina Spring League. However, they successfully qualified in the Copa Libertadores and still have good strength.
Monterrey, who has been ranked 5 times in the Central and North American Champions League, also ended in the quarter-finals this season. They were eliminated by Toluca Sports, who finally won the championship due to their away goals. Urawa Red Diamonds ended the last league game before the Club World Cup. After 21 rounds, they temporarily ranked third in the Japan League, and the gap between the top 6 points means they still have the opportunity to attack the champion.
Schedule: Asian team debut
The first match of Group E will be held at 3 a.m. on June 18, with Hanpu against Urawa Red Diamonds, who will become the first Asian team to debut in this competition. Inter Milan will make a debut at 9 a.m. that day against Mexican team Montreux. The specific schedule is as follows:
June 18 03:00 Riverbed vs Urawa Red Diamond
June 18 09:00 Inter Milan vs Monterrey
June 22 03:00 Inter Milan vs Urawa Red Diamond
June 22 09:00 Riverbed vs Monterrey
June 26 09:00 Inter Milan vs Riverbed
June 26 09:00 Urawa Red Diamond vs Monterrey
Quoting situation: Inter Milan is difficult to advanceNot big
The current number one in the world Inter Milan has obvious advantages in this group. Compared with the other three teams, it will not be too difficult for them to advance, but the shadow of the miserable defeat in the Champions League final may affect the players’ performance on the spot. River Plate and Monterrey have both had a hard time playing well in the league this season, and the direct dialogue between the two teams may affect the ownership of the qualifying seats.
As an Asian team, Urawa Red Diamonds’ players have a certain gap in physical fitness with European and American players, but Japanese teams have always performed well in the Club World Cup. If they can play their own style and magnify their own advantages, Urawa Red Diamonds may also become a dark horse in this group and grab tickets to the top 16 from the two American teams.
Star player: Ramos is expected to reappear
Inter Milan captain Lautaro Martinez is one of the most worthy players in this group. This season, he has scored 22 goals in various competitions and is still in excellent form. There are many Argentine players in the riverbed, the former core of West Ham United, Rancini and Mesa, which was reused in the 2018 World Cup, are impressive. On the back line, Montel, Acunia and Almani were also Argentina internationals, while 17-year-old Mastantono is about to make his national team debut. He has been locked by Paris Saint-Germain and is about to enter European football.
Montrey’s number one star is undoubtedly the former Real Madrid captain Ramos. After coming to Mexico, “Shui Ye” is still strong and scored 3 goals in the Mexican Super League. Oliver Torres and Ocampos, who played with Ramos, have played in Seville, and are now also playing in Monterrey. Haraguchi and Shoya Nakajima, who once visited Europe, are more famous players in Urawa Red Diamonds, but in this season’s J League, both of them have not received much opportunity.