To keep their qualification hopes alive, Maciej Skorza’s side must earn at least one point against Inter, as only the top two teams in the group advance.
Backed by a passionate and colorful fan base during their opener, Urawa will need every ounce of support once again.
However, history is not in their favor: they have lost both previous Club World Cup meetings with European teams—against AC Milan in 2007 and Manchester City two years ago.
For this match, Inter may still be without midfield maestro Hakan Calhanoglu (thigh), along with Davide Frattesi and Denzel Dumfries (muscle issues).
The trio could return in time to face River Plate. Piotr Zielinski (calf) and Yann Bisseck (thigh) are further behind in their recovery and are likely to miss out until the knockout stage—provided Inter qualifies.
Marcus Thuram remains a doubt with a flexor injury, which could see Sebastiano Esposito retain his place up front alongside Lautaro Martinez.
Esposito and his younger brother Francesco Pio Esposito recently returned from loan spells, while Joaquin Correa and Marko Arnautovic have both departed on free transfers. Iranian striker Mehdi Taremi is unavailable due to travel restrictions.
For Urawa, Ryoma Watanabe has been their main attacking threat this season, scoring six goals in 18 appearances.
He is expected to play a key role again, supporting lone striker Yusuke Matsuo.
Former Japan international Kai Shibato is the team's most notable absentee, while Bundesliga veteran Genki Haraguchi could provide an experienced option off the bench.
Predicted Starting Lineups:
Inter Milan: Sommer; Pavard, De Vrij, Bastoni; Zalewski, Barella, Asllani, Sucic, Dimarco; F. P. Esposito, Martinez
Urawa Red Diamonds: Nishikawa; Ishihara, Boza, Hoibraten, Naganuma; Gustafson, Yasui; Watanabe, Savio, Sekine; Matsuo