In midweek, first-time FIFA Club World Cup players Manchester City will face Urawa Red Diamonds in the semi-finals, while Chelsea, Newcastle and Liverpool all battle it out in the last four of the English League Cup. Meanwhile, Bayern Munich, Barcelona and Real Madrid will also face their favoured opponents. Manchester City are competing in the Club World Cup for the first time and will face Urawa Red Diamonds in the semi-finals for a place in the final.
Urawa Red Diamonds beat León 1-0 in the quarter-finals, while Manchester City's form has slipped and midfielders Kevin De Bruyne, Doku and Erling Haaland could be sidelined through injury. In the other semi-final, Chelsea face Newcastle, who are unbeaten at home for four consecutive years, while Newcastle ended their losing streak at the weekend. Barcelona will face Almeria, who are winless in their last three matches and Almeria are also winless in their last seven.
Bayern Munich will take on Wolfsburg, who are second in the Bundesliga standings, while Wolfsburg have won their first game in four games. In addition, Paris Saint-Germain will take on Metz, who currently lead the Ligue 1 standings, while Metz have suffered three consecutive league defeats. Finally, Liverpool will face West Ham, whose 11-game winning streak at home has been snapped, while West Ham have won seven of their last nine games.
In the Coppa Italia match, Inter Milan will face Bologna, who are unbeaten in 15 consecutive matches, while Bologna have won three and drawn one of their last four matches. Finally, Real Madrid will face Alaves, who are unbeaten in their last 16 matches and have won only once in their last seven meetings.