Published: 14 hours ago

Fluminense vs Al-Hilal: Preview and Prediction

Saudi Pro League giants Al-Hilal will square off against Brazilian outfit Fluminense for a spot in the semi-final of the Club World Cup.

Both Fluminense and Al-Hilal knocked out European giants to book a place in this quarter-final tie and will now be aiming to make it to the last four when they face off in Orlando on Friday.

Fluminense are unbeaten in the tournament heading into this fixture. They finished second in Group F behind Borussia Dortmund with two draws and a win. They squared up against Champions League finalist Inter Milan in the round of 16.

While the odds were stacked against them, they managed to secure a 2-0 win to book a place in the last eight. Fluminense were compact at the back and made the most out of the chances they got, and will be hoping for a similar performance against Al-Hilal.

The Saudi Pro League club are also unbeaten so far. They finished second in Group H behind Real Madrid with two draws and a win to set up a last-16 tie against Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City.

Not many expected them to get the better of the Premier League club, but they did manage to script one of the biggest upsets of the tournament as they secured a 4-3 win. While City dominated the ball and created a truckload of chances, Al-Hilal stood tall and kept hitting them on the break.

Both teams will be confident heading into this fixture, and it could end up being an edge-of-the-seat thriller. The Hard Tackle takes a close look at both teams and tries to predict the tactics they could deploy.

Team News & Tactics

Fluminense

Renato Gaucho shifted to a back three to counter Inter Milan in their last outing. Given how well it worked out for his team, he could stick with it against Al-Hilal as well.

Since they do not have any fresh injury concerns, the Brazilian outfit could go ahead with a similar XI to the one that started in their last outing.

It should be a 3-4-1-2 formation, where Fábio will take charge in goal. Veteran defender Thiago Silva will start alongside Ignácio da Silva Oliveira and Juan Pablo Freytes.

Samuel Xavier Brito and Renê should be the wing-backs, with Matheus Martinelli starting alongside Hércules in central midfield. The 24-year-old was quite impressive off the bench and could be handed a start here.

Nonato will take up the number ten role with Jhon Arias, and Germán Cano pairing up in the final third.

Probable Lineup (3-4-1-2): Fabio; Ignacio, Silva, Freytes; Xavier, Hercules, Martinelli, Rene; Nonato; Arias, Cano

Al-Hilal

Simone Inzaghi remains without the services of Salem Al-Dawsari and Aleksandar Mitrovic. Meanwhile, Abdullah Al-Hamddan, Mosab Al-Juwair and Hassan Tambakti are major doubts for this fixture.

But the former Inter Milan boss still has enough quality at his disposal. He is expected to stick with the 4-2-3-1 formation that has been quite effective in the Club World Cup so far.

Yassine Bounou, who was sensational against Manchester City, will continue in goal. Joao Cancelo and Renan Lodi will feature as the full-backs. In the heart of the defence, Hassan Al-Tambakti will partner with Kalidou Koulibaly.

In the centre of the park, Kanno and Ruben Neves will form the double pivot. They will look to shield the backline and control the tempo of the game.

Nasser Al-Dawsari and Malcom should feature on the flanks, providing much-needed width to their attacks. Sergej Milinkovic-Savic will feature in the number ten role while golden boot contender Marcus Leonardo (3 goals) will be leading the line.

Probable Lineup (4-3-1-2): Bono; Cancelo, Tambakti, Koulibaly, Lodi; Neves, Kanno; Malcom, Milinkovic-Savic, N. Al-Dawsari; Leonardo

Key Stats

  • This quarter-final fixture is all set to be the first official meeting between Fluminense and Al-Hilal.
  • Both teams are unbeaten in the tournament with two wins and two draws.
  • The Brazilian outfit have kept three clean sheets in their four Club World Cup fixtures.
  • Al-Hilal have squared up against a Brazilian outfit (Flamengo) in the CWC twice; they won in 2023, while they lost back in 2019.
  • Both teams have been unbeaten in their last fixture games across competitions.

Player to Watch

Yassine Bounou

Embed from Getty Images

While all the limelight tends to be on the star forwards, Bono has been the standout performer for Al-Hilal in the Club World Cup. The Moroccan international has saved 85% of the shots on target, and he was absolutely sensational against Manchester City with 11 saves out of the 14 shots he faced.

He is one of the biggest reasons why the Saudi Pro League club have made it this far in the tournament, and Inzaghi will hope he steps up again and delivers to help his team into the last four.

Prediction

Fluminense 1-2 Al-Hilal

Given how both teams have performed so far in the tournament, this promises to be a tightly contested encounter. Fluminense will look to stay compact at the back and hit Al-Hilal on the counter, just as they did against Inter Milan. They have the experience needed to weather pressure, and their attacking duo of Arias and Cano can cause damage if given even half a chance.

However, the Saudi giants will have the momentum and belief on their side after pulling off a stunning upset against Manchester City. With Bono in top form between the sticks and the likes of Malcom and Milinkovic-Savic thriving in advanced areas, Al-Hila have enough firepower to break down even a resolute defence. The Hard Tackle predicts a 2-1 win for Inzaghi’s team.

Tags: General
Ï