Urawa Red Diamonds VS Manchester City

Manchester City's situation is not as dire, but the Citizens have struggled to lift the Christmas spirits of the Etihad faithful as the days shorten. They dropped points for the fifth time in six Premier League matches during Saturday's encounter with Crystal Palace.Guardiola was under no illusions that City were the architects of their own downfall on Saturday, having squandered numerous opportunities to secure victory. The treble winners now have just three wins from eight games ahead of their Club World Cup debut.Man City will be competing for international glory for the first time, thanks to their long-awaited Champions League triumph in 2022-23. However, there might have been an awkward atmosphere on the aircraft as the Citizens flew straight to the Middle East after Saturday's draw, which also marked their eighth consecutive game without a clean sheet.

Even before securing their third AFC Champions League title by defeating Al-Hilal in the two-legged final, Urawa Red Diamonds ensured a spot in the 2023 Club World Cup simply by reaching the showpiece match. In the event of being runners-up, they would have been invited in place of Saudi Pro League champions Al-Ittihad.The Red Devils, unsurprisingly, did not rest on their laurels as they triumphed on the continent, setting up a second-round Club World Cup showdown against tournament debutants and CONCACAF Champions League winners Leon in front of a modest 2,500-strong Jeddah crowd.