Manchester City vs Fluminense Prediction (22.12.2023)

On Friday night, Manchester City and Fluminense go head-to-head at the King Abdullah Sports City in the FIFA Club World Cup final.

City put aside their recent underwhelming run by their high standards, as the Citizens extended their recent unbeaten run in all competitions by recording a comfortable 3-0 win over Urawa Reds in the semi-final.

The result also means that Pep Guardiola’s team are unbeaten in their last four competitive games, having recorded three wins and a draw.

City has been typically prolific of late, scoring at least two goals in all four unbeaten matches on their current run. Their stellar attacking efforts have led to over 2.5 goals scored in six of their last seven competitive games.

The game last time out saw City keep their first clean sheet in their previous nine matches in all competitions.

Fernando Diniz’s team recorded a 2-0 win over Al Ahly in the semi-final of the competition. The win ended Fluminense's short two-game losing streak, as the South American champions had suffered back-to-back defeats against Palmeiras and Gremio.

Unlike City, Fluminense’s recent games have been relatively low-scoring, with under 2.5 goals scored in eight of their previous 11 matches.

The Brazilian team have several players with bags of experience within their ranks, as former Real Madrid full-back Marcelo is still going strong at 35, while former Juventus star Felipe Melo is also in their squad at the age of 40.

Another key member of their team is central midfielder Andre, who has attracted the attention of some of Europe’s biggest clubs in recent seasons.

Both teams are experiencing their first FIFA Club World Cup. The bet I am backing is for City to record a relatively comfortable win.