On the 18th, head coach Maciej Skorza and Hiroki Sakai attended the official press conference the day before the "FIFA Club World Cup Saudi Arabia 2023 Semi-Trial against Manchester City FC" held at King Abdullah Sports City Stadium. They spoke about their enthusiasm for the semi-final and answered questions from reporters.

[Question and Answer Session]
(A question for Coach Maciej: I think Manchester City is one of the biggest clubs in the world, but what do you think the Reds should focus on in order to win?)
"It goes without saying that we are playing against Manchester City, but everything will be important. From the start of Trial, we will need to push ourselves beyond our limits in terms of strategy, tactics, and Trial itself. With Trial like this, it is important that we challenge our limits."

(A question for Coach Maciej. I think many people say that Manchester City is the best team in the world, but what do you think will be difficult for them? When you think about not just playing against them, but trying to win, what do you think about playing against a team of this level?)
"No matter what kind of football team you are, it's going to be difficult to play against a team like this. Team spirit will be important for us, both before and during Trial Trial Trust is important, and because it's the Club World Cup, they are the most difficult opponents to play against. However, this is fate. If we can get through this, tactically it will be a little easier, and Trial itself will be smarter. On paper, Manchester City is a team that surpasses us in every aspect. However, when it comes to what will happen in Trial, it doesn't necessarily go that way. We have great players with great characteristics. We are playing against the European champions, so it's a rare opportunity. I think it will be great to be able to take them on."

(A question for Sakai: The FIFA Club World Cup is not well known in England and is not considered very important, but how much attention is it given to Japan?)
"It is undoubtedly easy to imagine that it is not considered that important in England, but as coach (Maciej Skorza) often says, I think that the chance to play against Manchester City in an official match is a precious stage that comes only once in a lifetime for players playing in Japan. When I played in the (UEFA) Champions League as a member of (Olympique) Marseille, I thought that playing against Manchester City was the goal of all soccer players, and it was a great honor. I think it is a great honor to be able to play in an official match once again this time. I don't know how important it is in Japan, but there is no doubt that we are putting all our weight on tomorrow's Trial."

(A question for Coach Maciej: This tournament will be the last Trial for this team. What do you think this Trial means to you in terms of creating new history and making it your legacy?)
"Yes, this will be my last Trial as manager of Urawa Red Diamonds. If I can only speak for myself, it will be a very special time. Everything has been great for me this year and I have had very good experiences. All the players in the locker room, including Hiroki here, and the people at the club, have great personalities. And also the fans and supporters are wonderful. For all of you, I want to achieve the best possible results in this tournament. As I said before, I dream of reaching the final and winning."

(A question for Coach Maciej: You faced Pep Guardiola when you were in charge of Poland's Wisla Krakow. How does it feel to face him again in this kind of setting?)
"We had such a great opportunity. I met Guardiola 15 years ago when we were both managers at the time. It was Guardiola's first season at Barcelona. Ever since then I've always had a lot of respect for what he's done. I think he's the best manager in the world. So for me it's a great opportunity to play against Manchester City tomorrow. 15 years have passed since then. To be honest, you can't compare Trial from 15 years ago to tomorrow's. The background and the Trial itself are completely different. The tactics will also be completely different. As I said in my first answer, we need to be patient during Trial and believe in our strengths. There will be difficult times on the pitch. We need to keep fighting and not give in to those difficulties. We need to keep fighting to execute our plan. And we need to be able to play on an equal footing, even at the opponent's pace. I don't know what the result will be, but I think it will be a good game. I say it again, I think the most important thing is to always keep our team spirit up."

[Urawa Reds Official Media (URD:OM)]