Fluminense take on the visitors Al Hilal in quarterfinal match of FIFA Club World Cup. The match will be played on Friday, July 4th at Camping World Stadium (Orlando, FL).
Fluminense were hardly seen as serious contenders. The “Warrior Team,” under Fernando Diniz, won the Copa Libertadores in 2023—a historic triumph. However, Diniz was soon dismissed, and justifiably so: in the following Série A campaign, the club finished only 13th. Still, that position was enough to qualify for the Copa Sudamericana, where the Brazilians comfortably advanced through the group stage. They also performed reasonably well in both the domestic cup and league, though their painful defeat to arch-rivals Flamengo in the state championship final still lingers. Heading into the Club World Cup, expectations were modest. Nonetheless, Fluminense progressed to the knockout stage in typical South American fashion—drawing 0-0 with both Borussia Dortmund and Mamelodi Sundowns and defeating underdogs Ulsan HD. The real surprise came in the playoffs, where they scored early against Inter and held firm defensively before adding a second late on to secure a confident 2-0 victory. The team has now kept four clean sheets in its last five matches, showcasing a pragmatic, compact style that suits knockout football.
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Al Hilal arrived at the tournament with a new head coach—Simone Inzaghi—after a turbulent domestic campaign. The club had surrendered the league title to Al Ittihad without much of a fight after previously edging out Al Nassr in a dramatic 2023/2024 race. Worse yet, they suffered a shocking exit in the AFC Champions League semifinals at the hands of fellow Saudis Al Ain. Inzaghi took over with almost no preparation time, and efforts to reinforce the squad—pursuing names like Osimhen and Theo Hernandez—fell through. Despite that, Al Hilal began their campaign with a gritty 0-0 draw against Real Madrid, salvaged by Bono’s stoppage-time penalty save against Valverde. That was followed by another goalless draw with Red Bull Salzburg, but when it mattered most, they beat Pachuca 2-0 to seal a place in the knockout stage. Simply reaching the playoffs made them the only Asian representative in the quarterfinals—already an achievement. But then came the unthinkable: they eliminated Manchester City in extra time after coming from behind, with one of the biggest upsets in tournament history. Al Hilal have now gone four matches unbeaten and conceded only once in that stretch.
This will be the first-ever meeting between these two clubs. With a semifinal spot on the line, pressure will weigh heavily on both pragmatic managers. Expect a low-scoring affair—back under 2.5 total goals.
Prediction for the match: Under 2.5 scored goals.
