Club World Cup: Battle of the Disruptors

Fluminense vs Al-Hilal

The European Leagues are supposedly the best on the planet, as players from all over the world will flock to play in the likes of Serie A and the Premier League.

But over in the USA, the Europeans seem to have been found out, and the standout Club World Cup quarter-final fixture between Fluminense and Al-Hilal is good evidence of that. These two teams, from the Brazilian league and the Saudi Pro League, have just dumped out Inter Milan and Manchester City.

Al-Hilal’s new head coach Simone Inzaghi, outwitted Manchester City’s Pep Guardiola as his side ran out 4-3 winners. It was sweet revenge for the man who saw his Inter Milan side beaten by the Sky Blues in the 2023 Champions League final.

Meanwhile, Fluminense beat Inzaghi’s former team, Inter, in their Round of 16 clash, and experienced boss Renato Gaucho will have his team ready to take on the Saudis.

This is one quarter-final we really didn’t expect to see, but the pre-match Club World Cup 2025 betting odds reckon we’re in for a ding-dong battle, which should be well worth a watch.

 

Talking Points

Hercules is Fluminense’s hero

Substitute Hercules climbed off the bench to score an injury-time goal, which gave Fluminense a 2-0 win over Inter Milan and sent the travelling hordes of Brazilian fans wild.

The underdogs took the game to their illustrious opponents, as German Cano opened the scoring with just three minutes on the clock. The 37-year-old made no mistake when a deflected cross landed at his feet just five yards out, and the Brazil side held out comfortably until the halftime break, as I Nerazzurri were sloppy in possession and lacking in creativity.

Things changed after the break as both Lautaro Martinez and Federico Dimarco rattled the Fluminense woodwork, and they were left to rue their misses when Hercules fired his cross-shot into the bottom corner three minutes into stoppage time. This was hard to take for I Nerazzurri after they lost the Champions League final and the Scudetto last term, and they are left to lick their wounds again, but Fluminense are dreaming of a semi-final chance.

 

Leonardo shines for Al-Hilal

With three goals in the competition so far, Al-Hilal striker Marcos Leonardo is making a name for himself, and it’s a name Manchester City fans or players won’t forget in a hurry after he scored a brace as the Saudis edged a seven-goal thriller against the Premier League mega-club. Leonardo’s second goal came deep into extra time to stun the Citizens and book a quarter-final ticket for the Saudis.

The Sky Blues went ahead in the ninth minute, as experienced winger Bernardo Silva pounced, but then 22-year-old Leonardo, whose stock is quickly rising, made it 1-1 and former Bordeaux winger Malcom turned the game on its head before the break.

City had their big guns playing, and Erling Haaland levelled to take the game into extra time. After Kalidou Koulibaly had nudged the Saudis ahead again, Phil Foden made it 3-3. But Guardiola will be alarmed just how easily his team were caught on the break while they struggled to turn possession into more goals, and Leonardo punished City again.

Inzaghi and his team managed to stop the Sky Blue wave of Manchester City, and now they face another team who likes to upset the odds, and the Club World Cup 2025 highlights are certain to be worth a watch.

 

History

Fluminense have won the Brazilian Serie A four times but finished in a disappointing 13^th place last term, but Gaucho is certainly putting things right in his sixth spell as manager of the club.

Al-Hilal are 19-time winners of the Saudi Pro League, though they finished second last term. They appointed Inzaghi to return them to the summit, which I’m sure he will.

These two teams have never met in competition before, but they both come into this game in good shape. Fluminense have four wins and two draws from the last six games, while Al-Hilal have three wins and three draws.

 

Betting Tip

Al-Hilal are slight favourites at SBOTOP odds of 2.37 to win this fascinating clash with Fluminense not so far out at 2.51. Both teams can make a good case for a semi-final place. The Saudis have plenty of flair players in their ranks, but the Brazilians are a tight group and hard to break down.

I can see this clash going to extra time. And, for a correct scoreline, a 1-1 draw is at 5.70, while 2-2 is priced at 13.00.

   

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