River Plate vs Urawa Red Diamonds: Club World Cup Preview, Prediction & Betting Tips
River Plate vs Urawa Red Diamonds. The FIFA Club World Cup gets serious as River Plate faces Urawa Red Diamonds in their Group E opener at Seattle’s Lumen Field. This is the type of match the fans crave. A packed atmosphere and so much to play for. Can the South American giants demonstrate their skills, or can Urawa create a catastrophe?
Form Guide: River Plate vs Urawa Red Diamonds
River Plate are red hot coming into this one. They are dangerous on both ends of the field and have only lost once in their last 17 games (W9, D7). Fans paid close attention after they crushed Independiente del Valle 6-2 in the Copa Libertadores. They then overcame Barracas Central 3-0 and defeated Barcelona SC 3-2 in Ecuador. That’s 14 goals in their last five games—and they haven’t lost once in that stretch.
Urawa Red Diamonds, on the other hand, have been all over the place lately. They’ve dropped five of their last six, though they did manage a key 2-1 win over Yokohama FC. Just two wins from their last seven (D3, L2) isn’t ideal, but they’ve still found ways to score, which might help them on the break.
Predicted Lineups
River Plate (4-3-3):
Armani; Montiel, Martínez Quarta, Díaz, Acuña; Castaño, Pérez, Fernández; Mastantuono, Driussi, Colidio
Out: Agustín Ruberto (knee)
Key Players:
- Franco Mastantuono: At just 17, he’s playing like a veteran. Five goals and two assists in his last nine games make him River’s creative spark.
- Facundo Colidio: In great form. With his keen eye for goal, he typically comes off the bench to end games.
Urawa Red Diamonds (4-2-3-1):
Nishikawa; Ishihara, Boza, Høibråten, Ogiwara; Yasui, Gustafson; Kaneko, Watanabe, Savio; Matsuo
Out: Kai Shibato (knee)
Key Players:
- Ryōma Watanabe: Has been finding the net consistently, with four goals in his last six.
- Samuel Gustafson: Strengthens the midfield, which helps get from defense to offense in a quick turnaround.
Head-to-Head
This is the first competitive match between these two teams. In the past, River Plate has performed excellently against Japanese teams:
- Beat Sanfrecce Hiroshima 1-0 (2015)
- Beat Kashima Antlers 4-0 (2018)
They kept clean sheets in both and dominated possession. Urawa has never played a South American team in the Club World Cup before, so this will be new to them.
Stats That Matter
- River have seen both teams score in 8 of their last 10.
- They’ve netted first in 6 of their last 7.
- Urawa has only one draw in 8 Club World Cup games (W3, L4).
- 4 of Urawa’s last 5 games went over 2.5 goals.
Looks like this one could be full of action, especially from River Plate.
Betting Odds
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- River Plate to win: 1.45
- Draw: 4.40
- Urawa Red Diamonds to win: 6.50
Other Bets Worth Considering
- River Plate -1 Handicap: They’ve been winning big lately.
- Over 2.5 Goals: Both teams like to go forward and Urawa’s defense is leaky.
- First Goalscorer: Mastantuono’s in great form and could get things going early.
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River Plate vs Urawa Red Diamonds: Prediction
Prediction: River Plate 2–0 Urawa Red Diamonds
Expect River to come out strong and control the ball. Urawa might hold on early, but their defense could crack under River’s fast-paced attack. Mastantuono could open the scoring, and Colidio might wrap it up late.
Tactical Takeaways
- River will press high and try to suffocate Urawa’s midfield.
- Urawa will likely sit back and look to hit on the counter through Watanabe and Savio, but they might not hold out for long.
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