Saudi Pro League side Al Hilal and Brazilian giants Fluminense will lock horns at the Camping World Stadium in the quarter-finals of the FIFA Club World Cup.
On paper, they might not be the flashiest sides in the competition, but both have earned their spot in the final eight of the tournament.
Each team stunned European heavyweights to reach this stage and will now go head-to-head for a place in the semi-finals.
Fluminense are currently unbeaten in the tournament, finishing second in Group F behind Borussia Dortmund with two draws and a win.
Their biggest moment came when they shocked UEFA Champions League finalists Inter Milan, defeating the Italian giants 2-0 in the round of 16.
The result was so unexpected that Softfootball reported Inter captain Lautaro Martínez publicly called out his teammates, urging them to step up after suffering a third setback in a row.
Inter previously endured a 5–0 humiliation in the UCL final against PSG and narrowly lost the Serie A title to Napoli in the dying stages.
Al Hilal, too, have not reached this stage by luck—they have absolutely earned it.
The Saudi club are unbeaten as well. After holding Real Madrid to a 1–1 draw in the group stage, they went on to stun Manchester City in dramatic fashion, knocking out the Premier League champions with a thrilling 4–3 win after extra time.
Both sides will enter the quarter-final clash high on confidence, setting the stage for a tactical and explosive battle.
Fluminense head coach Renato Gaúcho switched to a back-three system against Inter Milan in the previous round and, with no new injuries, is expected to stick with the same setup.
The same can’t be said for Al Hilal. Head coach Simone Inzaghi will still be without key players Salem Al-Dawsari and Aleksandar Mitrović.
Meanwhile, Abdullah Al-Hamddan, Mosab Al-Juwair, and Hassan Tambakti remain doubtful for the game.
However, Inzaghi still has plenty of quality in his squad and is expected to retain the trusted 4-3-1-2 formation that has served them well so far in the tournament.
Softfootball brings some interesting statistics ahead of the clash.
- This will be the first-ever meeting between Al Hilal and Fluminense.
- Both teams are unbeaten, with identical records: 2 wins and 2 draws.
- Fluminense have kept 3 clean sheets in their 4 Club World Cup matches.
- The only Brazilian side Al Hilal have previously faced is Flamengo—a loss in 2019 and a win in 2023.
When the lights go up at Camping World Stadium in Orlando, one team’s fairytale journey will come to an end, while the other keeps the dream alive in what promises to be one of the most captivating matches of the tournament.
