Manchester City will strive to "establish an atmosphere" and prioritise ample rest in their bid to secure victory in the FIFA Club World Cup later this week, as revealed by manager Pep Guardiola.
The current UEFA Champions League champions effortlessly secured a spot in the final showdown on Friday night. They defeated the Japanese team Urawa Red Diamonds in Jeddah last Tuesday, scoring goals before and after the halftime break.
An own goal, resulting from Matheus Nunes' efforts just before halftime, was followed by a strike from Mateo Kovacic. Later in the match, a deflected shot from Bernardo Silva sealed off the scoring.
Fluminense – who triumphed over Egyptian club Al Ahly in their semi-final – are set to face Manchester City in the 2023 FIFA Club World Cup, with the match scheduled to take place in Saudi Arabia on Friday.
Following Manchester City’s win against Urawa Red Diamonds in the semi-final on Tuesday evening, Pep Guardiola spoke to the media, outlining his strategy to secure a fifth and final piece of silverware for the Etihad Stadium in 2023.
“The plan is to sleep, sleep and sleep! This is our plan,” the Catalan coach revealed when asked how he intends on preparing his Manchester City squad for the challenge of Brazilian giants Fluminense on Friday evening.
“Now we have to rest. They (Fluminense) had one more day,” he continued, as quoted by ManCity.com. “We will have a day off, have dinner together and create an environment that the players know how important it is for the Club.
“To be in this final you have to do incredible things like win the Champions League. This may be the only time we play this in our lifetime. We are there. Tomorrow we start to watch Fluminense and see them and try to do a good performance.”
The encounter with Fluminense marks Manchester City's final match outside of Premier League fixtures before they resume their English top-flight commitments with an away fixture at Goodison Park against Everton following Christmas.
The City coaching staff and medical team are focused on facilitating the comebacks of three prominent Manchester City players: Kevin De Bruyne, Erling Haaland, and Jeremy Doku, who have been absent from the ongoing FIFA Club World Cup.
De Bruyne, who underwent surgery for a hamstring issue last summer, has rejoined first-team training. He remains optimistic about returning to competitive action shortly after the new year begins.