Fluminense and Al Hilal face off in the first quarter-final of the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup at Camping World Stadium, Orlando, on Friday.
Both teams caused major surprises to make it to the last eight, with Fluminense knocking out Inter Milan and Al Hilal shocking Manchester City after extra time.
This means there won't be a reunion for Simone Inzaghi, who departed Inter Milan to become head coach of the Saudi Pro League club just before the tournament.
Inzaghi has slowly shaped Al Hilal into his preferred 3-5-2 formation and could encounter a similar tactic from Renato Gaucho, who changed to three at the back for Flu’s 2-0 win over Inter.
Team news
Fluminense will be missing suspended left wing-back Rene, who was cautioned against Inter.
Gabriel Fuentes, who started the second group match against Ulsan HD at left-back, is a top choice to step in.
Matheus Martinelli is dealing with an injury picked up in the round of 16 and might be swapped out by Hercules, who netted the decisive goal against Inter, in midfield.
Otherwise, Renato Gaucho is expected to stick with the same lineup that beat Inter, featuring ex-Chelsea and AC Milan player Thiago Silva at the core of the back three.
Al Hilal have no new injury problems, despite Inzaghi making various changes during their thrilling 4-3 victory over Manchester City.
Mohamed Kanno, who came in for the injured Salem Al-Dawsari, is likely to start alongside Ruben Neves, Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, and Nasser Al-Dawsari in midfield.
Malcolm will operate further forward behind lone striker Marcos Leonardo, who is set to start with Aleksandar Mitrovic still regaining fitness.
The stats
Both Fluminense and Al Hilal have faced the fewest number of shots on target (17) among the eight remaining clubs in the Club World Cup.
Al Hilal have scored a minimum of two goals in six of their last nine games but have conceded three goals in four of their last 10 matches in all competitions.
Fluminense have never been defeated by Saudi opposition in the Club World Cup, while Al Hilal have both won and lost against Brazilian teams in previous editions.
Al Hilal produced 3.16 xG and scored four goals from just six shots on target against Manchester City, despite having only 31% possession and being outshot 30-17.
Prediction
Al Hilal's dramatic win in extra time against Pep Guardiola’s team could position them as favorites to overcome Fluminense for some observers.
However, they might need to tighten up defensively in this match after allowing City to register 30 shots, 15 of which were on target, in Charlotte.
Jhon Arias could be the danger man for Fluminense after his impressive displays in the United States.
The Colombian attacking midfielder has been a constant threat to opponents with his speed and goal-scoring ability.
Arias has had at least three shots in three of his four Club World Cup matches this summer and will aim to challenge Al Hilal goalkeeper Yassine Bounou whenever possible.