These sides have never met before in a competitive game

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.

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.

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.