City and Inter, favorites

Manchester City will face Al-Hilal tonight in Orlando in the round of 16 of the Club World Cup, in a new duel between Pep Guardiola and Simone Inzaghi, who met in the 2023 Champions League final.

The Italian coach signed with Al-Hilal a few weeks ago. His team boasts Rubén Neves, Sergej Milinkovic Sávic, and Kalidou Koulibaly as key players.

"I appreciate it. It will be a pleasure to play against City and see Pep," said Inzaghi, who called Guardiola "the best of all" and stated that "these games make us grow."

The City advanced perfectly in Group G, scoring 13 goals in three matches. They beat Juventus 5-2 in their last match. Haaland, Foden, Gundogan, and Doku each have two goals.

The Arab team advanced to the round of 16 as runner-up in Group H.

"City plays world-class football, with possession and aggression. We're talking about the best club in the world," the Italian coach said.

"Every coach who starts coaching looks to Guardiola as an inspiration. There's a style of football before and after him," Inzaghi added.

The winner will face the winner of the Inter Milan vs. Fluminense match in the quarterfinals.

Tough test for the Flu

A few hours earlier, Inter Milan will face Fluminense of Brazil for a spot in the next round.

Cristian Chivu, the Nerazzurri coach, will be able to count on Marcus Thuram, who has recovered from discomfort.

The French striker is expected to return to action after playing 33 minutes against Monterrey. Inter are still without players such as Hakan Calhanoglu, Piotr Zielinski, Benjamin Pavard, and Yann Bisseck, who have already returned to Italy.

The Romanian coach spoke about the weather-related suspensions in this tournament and believed it would be better to make the decision well in advance rather than during the match.

"I saw there was a weather warning. I hope the decision is made before the game starts because if we arrive and they say we have to wait two hours, it becomes quite difficult when preparing for the game," he said.

For his part, Flu coach Renato Gaúcho also spoke about the weather-related suspensions in this tournament and maintained that if something like that happens today, the most important thing would be for his players to stay focused.

"Nature is nature, and we can't control it. In Brazil, we play in rain, lightning, everything. But here, if lightning strikes 15 kilometers away, they stop the game," he explained.— EFE