
Inter Milan seem to be suffering from a Champions League hangover and if they slip up once more in the Club World Cup against Urawa Red Diamonds they will face an uphill struggle to reach the knockout stages.
The Serie A giants were humiliated in the European showpiece as PSG dished out a 5-0 beating and they suffered more pain when boss Simone Inzaghi quit to take charge of Saudi club Al-Hilal.
Former player Cristian Chivu has taken the reins but could only draw 1-1 with Mexican side Monterrey as he took charge for the first time in their Club World Cup opener.
Most people, including our man Andy, expected Inter to win pretty comfortably in that game but they fell behind and needed a goal from Lautaro Martinez to rescue them.
Chivu's side now need a win against Urawa Red Diamonds to get back on track and the Japanese side are rank outsiders after losing 3-1 to River Plate in their opener.
A 2/1 card bet salvaged something for me in that game but it's hard to see the J-League outfit getting much joy in this group based on their performance against the Argentines.
Inter Milan may be a bit fragile right now but they still boast superior quality to Urawa and should bank three vital points if they turn up with the right attitude.
How the bookies view it: Italian sob for Urawa
Inter Milan are heavy favourites for this one at just 2/11 with BoyleSports. Urawa Red Diamonds are 12/1 outsiders and the draw is pretty big at 11/2.
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Head to head: A tasty starter
These sides have never met before in a competitive game, with Inter Milan gracing the Club World Cup just once before. They won the tournament on that occasion in 2010, beating Congolese minnows TP Mazembe in the final. But Urawa Red Diamonds did play AC Milan at the 2007 event, losing 1-0 in the semi-finals.
Players to watch: Thuram back in business
Marcus Thuram was surprisingly left on the bench for Inter Milan's opener and I'd imagine the Frenchman will be restored to the starting line-up for this one after a disappointing result. He's 21/20 at BoyleSports for anytime scorer and his pace and power could unsettle the Japanese defence.
Yusuke Matsuo scored Urawa's goal against River Plate from the spot and should lead the line again. He's their most likely source of a goal and BoyleSports make him 9/2 for anytime scorer.
Probable line-ups
Chivu will probably make a few changes for Inter Milan after their disappointing opener but stopper Yann Bisseck remains out. Takuro Kaneko recovered from illness to feature in Urawa's opener and they should be along similar lines to the clash with River Plate.
Inter Milan: Sommer, Pavard, Acerbi, Bastoni, Barella, L Henrique, Mkhitarayan, Darmian, Dimarco, Martinez, Thuram.
Urawa Red Diamonds: Nishikawa, Ishihara, Boza, Hoibraten, Naganuma, Gustafson, Yasui, Kaneko, Savio, Watanabe, Matsuo.
Anything else catch the eye?
It's hard to predict if we'll see goals at both ends in this one, with Inter Milan conceding plenty of goals recently but Urawa drawing blanks in two of their last three. The Japanese side needed a penalty to get on the scoresheet against River Plate so I fancy an Inter win to nil at 20/23 with BoyleSports.
Inter Milan won six corners in their first game while Urawa Red Diamonds only had one flag kick. That makes backing the Italians at -4.5 in the corner handicap appealing at 11/10 with BoyleSports.