Suffering a 5-0 defeat from Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League final clearly had a big impact on Inter Milan as they started their Club World Cup journey with a disappointing 1-1 draw against Mexican team Monterrey.
The loss to the French champions also marked the end of manager Simone Inzaghi's tenure, with former player Cristian Chivu taking over, so it's not surprising that the team is facing some early challenges.
However, if topping Group E is still a realistic goal, then this game is crucial for Chivu's squad and they are expected to have an advantage over Japanese side Urawa Red Diamonds.
Urawa suffered a 3-1 loss to River Plate in their first Group E match, indicating that they will need to be proactive when they face off against Inter at Seattle's Lumen Field.
Team news
Inter's key midfielder Hakan Calhanoglu was absent during the Monterrey draw and is likely to miss this match as well, along with Davide Frattesi and Denzel Dumfries.
Yan Bisseck, Francesco Pio Esposito, Piotr Zielinski, and Mehdi Taremi are also out, while French striker Marcus Thuram is uncertain due to a flexor problem.
Winger Ryoma Watanabe is Urawa’s main goal threat and is expected to play a crucial role, with experienced midfielder Genki Haraguchi possibly starting as well. However, Kai Shibato remains sidelined.
The stats
Inter have lost only one of their last eight matches, whereas Urawa Red Diamonds have won just two of their previous eight games.
The Serie A giants have managed to keep only four clean sheets in their last 20 matches across all competitions.
In six of Urawa's last seven games, both teams have found the net.
Urawa Red Diamonds have lost two of their last four matches, but they scored in both defeats.
Five of Urawa's recent six matches have seen at least three goals scored.
Inter's forward Lautro Martinez has been quite productive, with 23 goals and seven assists in 50 matches this season.
Prediction
Injuries have hampered Inter, but it would be a major letdown if the Champions League finalists struggle against Urawa, who are facing a higher level of competition in the Club World Cup compared to the J1 League.
Therefore, Inter, led by Martinez, should be too strong in a match they must win, aiming to improve on their draw with Monterrey.
Although keeping clean sheets has been a challenge for Inter, their attacking prowess should guide them to victory. Urawa, being a counter-attacking team, may have opportunities against Inter, especially considering both teams have been scoring consistently in their recent matches.
Urawa's 3-1 loss to River Plate in the first match highlights the difficulty of the task ahead for them.