Long-term injury absentee Kevin de Bruyne trained with the team on Monday
Pep Guardiola says the Fifa Club World Cup offers Manchester City the chance to “close the little circle and win all the trophies we could” as they prepare for Tuesday’s semi-final with Urawa Red Diamonds.
City are the Premier League, Champions League, FA Cup and Uefa Super Cup holders and have also won the EFL Cup and Community Shield under Guardiola.
“It’s the first time Man City is here [the Club World Cup],” said Guardiola. “We don’t take it for granted, it’s a privilege, an honour to be here.”
Kevin de Bruyne and Erling Haaland have both travelled to Saudi Arabia after recent injuries – although there is no word on whether either will play.
Midfielder De Bruyne has not played since suffering a hamstring injury on the opening day of the season, but trained with the team on Monday.
Striker Haaland has missed their past three games with a foot injury.
“Erling is a big player for us, we can’t deny that,” midfielder Bernardo Silva said.
“But the big strength at City in my time here is no matter who is missing, we are the same team and we fight for all the titles.
“We will do that, of course if Erling Haaland is not here we will miss him but we have Julian Alvarez and he is a top striker.”
The last 10 Club World Cups have been won by European sides, including Liverpool and Chelsea, with Guardiola having previously won it twice with Barcelona.
They face Asian Champions League holders Urawa of Japan at Jeddah’s King Abdullah Sports City Stadium. The winners face Fluminense or Al Ahly in Friday’s final.
“To reach the final is tricky. We don’t know them much, we got as much information as possible,” Guardiola said.
“Japan’s national team is beating Germany, winning games against the best in the world. Football in Japan is strong.”
Meanwhile, City have been fined £120,000 by the Football Association after their players surrounded referee Simon Hooper in their dramatic 3-3 draw with Tottenham earlier this month.
2023-12-18 17:01:25
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