River Plate and Inter face off in Seattle on Wednesday night knowing that a slip up could cost them severely in the final round of Group E games at the Club World Cup. Both sides find themselves on four points after drawing with Monterrey and beating Urawa Red Diamonds in their first two games, but will know that if the Mexicans beat their already eliminated Japanese opponents at the same time then the writing could be on the wall for them.
A win for Monterrey would see them jump up to five points, making for a highly-pressurized clash at Lumen Field. A draw would mean both River Plate and Inter would also land on five points and, whatever the outcome elsewhere, would be good enough for the Argentines, who beat Urawa 3-1 whereas Inter only won 2-1 thanks to an added time winner from Valentin Carboni. Inter could escape Group E with a draw while Monterrey won, but would need the Mexicans to only win by a one goal margin. Even then it could come down to goals scored or, perish the thought, disciplinary record.
Head spinning yet? Just imagine what it could be like on Wednesday night!
This will be the first competitive meeting between the two teams.
Franco Mastantuano, River Plate: Could this be the last game in River colors for Mastantuano? The 17 year old, the outstanding young prospect of the Argentine game, is set to join Real Madrid after a tournament that he is so far yet to set alight. A bright start against Urawa Red Diamonds frittered out as River struggled to find a way past Monterrey. Now is the time for Mastantuano to show Europe what they’re waiting for.
Does Chivu stick to the Inzaghi formula? There have been flashes of a change up from Cristian Chivu since he was parachuted in to replace Simone Inzaghi, now at Al-Hilal, but so far he has largely stuck with a back three. The output so far has not been inspired with Inter playing like a team who need jolting out of their malaise after the damage of missing out on a Scudetto and the Champions League. The question that faces Chivu now is whether he tries something different to force a change or, with the stakes so high, goes back to the steady hands of this team.
Expect this to be a game more rife with tension than quality before Inter eventually scramble to the result they need. PICK: River Plate 1, Inter 2
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