If either River Plate or Inter Milan wins, a Monterrey victory would allow them to leapfrog the losing team. Even if that match ends in a draw, Monterrey could still advance—provided they score more goals than the other two teams.
Despite their painful last-minute defeat to Inter Milan, Urawa displayed strong defensive discipline for most of the game. This could prompt Skorza to stick with a similarly cautious formation.
In attack, Ryoma Watanabe and Takuro Kaneko were standout performers from the wings, combining well for Urawa’s goal. Both are expected to start again on Thursday.
For Monterrey, midfielder Jorge Rodriguez will miss the final group match due to yellow card accumulation from the first two games. Nelson Deossa is likely to partner with Oliver Torres in midfield.
Veteran defender Sergio Ramos has been a rock at the back for Monterrey and has scored their only goal in the group stage so far. He will once again wear the captain’s armband in this decisive fixture.
Predicted Lineups
Urawa Red Diamonds:
Nishikawa; Ishihara, Boza, Hoibraten, Naganuma; Yasui, Gustafson; Kaneko, Matsumoto, Watanabe; Matsuo
Monterrey:
Andrada; Aguirre, Medina, Ramos, Arteaga; Deossa, Torres; Corona, Canales, Ocampos; Berterame