FIFA Club World Cup 2025 | Group E: Inter Milan vs Urawa Reds | Preview and Prediction

This Group E encounter at the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup will be played between recent UEFA Champions League and Serie A runners-up Inter Milan and three-time AFC Champions League winners Urawa Red Diamonds on June 22 at Lumen Field, Seattle. 

Here are our preview and prediction for the game.

FIFA Club World Cup 2025 | Group E: FC Internazionale Milano vs Urawa Red Diamonds | 00:30 IST, June 22

Both teams will be seeking to win their first game at this year’s Club World Cup. Italian giants Inter drawing their opener 1–1 against Monterrey in Seattle on Saturday, while Urawa Reds were beaten comprehensively by River Plate, thus neither can afford to lose this match.

Playing their first competitive fixture since suffering that historic UCL final defeat, Inter Milan, under the new leadership of Christian Chivu, fell behind when Monterrey’s 39-year-old skipper Sergio Ramos struck a powerful header to put the Mexican club in front. However, their own skipper and talisman Lautaro Martínez drew them level just before the break.

Still, during the second half, Chivu’s men failed to find the back of the net and had to settle for a share of the spoils. The Romanian was a former player at the club, and his brief but impressive 13-game spell at Parma towards the end of last term was enough to earn the reins of one of Italy’s top clubs. 

As two-time winners of the Intercontinental Cup in 1964 and 1965, the Nerazzurri have a proud history in global competitions. Thus, Chivu will be expected to galvanise his tired and weary squad and reach the latter stages. Slipping up against Urawa Reds is simply not an option in that regard, and the pressure is on him at Lumen Field to take all three points before a big clash with River Plate next week.

Inter’s Japanese counterparts, for that matter, went into their opening CWC fixture having won just two of their previous seven matches, leaving them fourth in the J1 League and seven points off the top. 

Having secured their place in this year’s competition as the winners of the 2022 AFC Champions League — their third Asian title — Urawa Reds’ first game was a forgettable one as they were thoroughly outclassed by heavyweights River Plate. Yusuke Matsuo’s penalty briefly gave them hope just before the hour mark, but two goals either side of his strike were enough for River to inflict a 3–1 defeat.

In order to keep their CWC campaign alive, Maciej Skorza’s side must pick up at least one point against Inter on Saturday. However, having also lost both their previous CWC encounters against European opposition — to Inter’s city rivals AC Milan in 2007, and Manchester City two years ago — history is certainly not on their side.

In terms of team news ahead of this fixture, Chivu will again have to field his team without the services of Marcus Thuram (flexor issue), Hakan Çalhanoglu (thigh), Davide Frattesi and Denzel Dumfries (both muscular), while Piotr Zielinski (calf) and Yann Bisseck (thigh) are further behind in their recovery and may have to wait until the knockouts — should Inter get there.

Meanwhile, former Japan midfielder Kai Shibato will be the most notable absentee for Urawa Reds, while German Bundesliga veteran, former Hertha Berlin midfielder Genki Haraguchi may be called upon from the bench.

Looking ahead to this fixture, this is not the Inter Milan of 2023 or 2024, as they are still very early in their rebuilding phase. However, they should still see off a fairly limited Urawa Reds side who are not in a great run of form and simply lack the firepower required to punish any errors the Nerazzurri may make.

Score Prediction: Inter Milan 3–0 Urawa Reds 
Venue: Lumen Field, Seattle, Washington