Fluminense vs Al Hilal Probable Lineups: An Expert Tactical Preview of the Club World Cup Quarter-Final
- Details
- Statistics
- Lineup
FIFA Club World Cup
Fluminense
Al-Hilal Saudi FC| Fluminense | Statistic | Al-Hilal Saudi FC |
|---|---|---|
| 3 | Shots on Goal | 4 |
| 3 | Shots off Goal | 4 |
| 10 | Total Shots | 15 |
| 4 | Blocked Shots | 7 |
| 5 | Shots insidebox | 9 |
| 5 | Shots outsidebox | 6 |
| 13 | Fouls | 12 |
| 4 | Corner Kicks | 12 |
| 3 | Offsides | 1 |
| 43 | Ball Possession | 57 |
| 3 | Yellow Cards | 4 |
| 0 | Red Cards | 0 |
| 3 | Goalkeeper Saves | 1 |
| 333 | Total passes | 432 |
| 282 | Passes accurate | 382 |
| 85 | Passes % | 88 |
| 0 | expected_goals | 0 |
| 0 | goals_prevented | 0 |
3-5-2
Lineup
5-3-2
FluminenseSubstitutes
- 29 Thiago Santos ()
- 23 Guga ()
- 45 Lima ()
- 9 Everaldo ()
- 35 Hércules ()
- 77 Paulo Baya ()
- 10 Ganso ()
- 26 Manoel ()
- 11 Keno ()
- 17 A. Canobbio ()
- 7 Y. Soteldo ()
- 98 Vitor Eudes ()
- 18 R. Lezcano ()
- 90 K. Serna ()
- 19 J. Lavega ()
Coach: 0
- 88 Hamad Al Yami ()
- 18 Musab Al Juwayr ()
- 5 Ali Al Bulayhi ()
- 27 Kaio César ()
- 10 A. Hamed-Allah ()
- 15 Mohammed Al Qahtani ()
- 17 Mohammed Al Yami ()
- 12 Yasser Al Shahrani ()
- 40 Ahmad Aburasyin ()
- 7 Khalid Al Ghannam ()
- 39 Abdulaziz Hadhood ()
- 78 Ali Lajami ()
- 4 Khalifah Al Dawsari ()
Coach: 0
In what promises to be a landmark fixture in the inaugural expanded 2025 FIFA Club World Cup, Brazilian giants Fluminense will face Saudi Arabian powerhouse Al Hilal in a compelling quarter-final clash. The stage is set for Friday, July 4, at the Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Florida, with a scheduled 3:00 p.m. ET kickoff under the officiating of esteemed Dutch referee Danny Makkelie. The stakes could not be higher; the victor earns a coveted semi-final berth and a date with the winner of the heavyweight encounter between England’s Chelsea and Brazil’s Palmeiras. This is not merely a football match; it is a narrative-rich encounter that pits the champions of South America against the titans of Asia in a battle for global supremacy.
#FIFACWC Quarter-Finals. 🔜#CWC2025 pic.twitter.com/D8teRKXUIq
— Match Spoots (@matchspoots) July 2, 2025
The Narrative of the Giant-Killers
This quarter-final holds the unique distinction of being the only one in this round not to feature a European club, a testament to the seismic shocks both teams delivered in the Round of 16. They arrive in Orlando not just as participants, but as conquerors who have redrawn the tournament’s landscape.
Fluminense orchestrated a stunning 2-0 victory over the 2023 UEFA Champions League finalists, Inter Milan. It was a performance hailed as a “tactical masterclass,” defined by relentless energy and clinical precision. The Brazilians struck early, with veteran striker Germán Cano finding the net within three minutes, before weathering immense pressure and sealing the historic win with a late goal from substitute Hércules.
Arguably even more astonishing was Al Hilal’s feat. In a match described as “inexplicable” and “historic,” they eliminated the reigning Club World Cup champions, Manchester City, in a breathtaking 4-3 extra-time thriller. The seven-goal epic, lauded as the “biggest upset of the summer,” saw the Saudi champions go toe-to-toe with Pep Guardiola’s formidable side. Young Brazilian striker Marcos Leonardo was the hero, scoring a brace that included a dramatic 112th-minute winner to send the European titans crashing out.
The very existence of this fixture is a powerful statement. The newly expanded 32-team tournament was conceived by FIFA as a grand project to create a more globally competitive and commercially vibrant pinnacle of club football. The immediate success of teams from CONMEBOL and the AFC against two of Europe’s most decorated clubs provides instant validation for this vision. These upsets demonstrate that while the financial chasm between continents remains vast, the competitive gap on the field of play may be narrowing. This match, therefore, transcends its status as a mere quarter-final. It serves as a compelling proof-of-concept for FIFA’s ambitions, a barometer for the shifting tectonic plates of the global game. The winner will not only advance but will carry the mantle of a legitimate, non-European world title contender, lending profound credibility to the entire enterprise and signaling a potential move away from a traditionally Eurocentric power structure.
Fluminense: The Resilient Heart of Brazil
The Gaúcho Revolution: Pragmatism Over Dogma
At the helm of Fluminense’s remarkable run is manager Renato Gaúcho, a figure often stereotyped as a simple motivator who relies on standard Brazilian formations like the 4-2-3-1 or 4-3-3. However, his performance in this tournament has shattered that simplistic narrative. The victory over Inter Milan was a tactical triumph born from sophisticated preparation and adaptability. For the first time in the tournament, Gaúcho deployed a 3-5-2 formation, a move specifically designed to mirror and neutralize Inter’s own system, showcasing a level of opponent analysis far beyond that of a mere “vest-handler”.
Gaúcho’s core philosophy is one of directness and efficiency. He is a manager who cares little for sterile possession, prioritizing instead incisive attacking actions and devastating transitions. His instructions to players are often described as simple and clear, focusing on building confidence and ensuring correct positioning to maximize their natural talents. This approach is underpinned by a collaborative leadership style. During a crucial cooling break against Inter, with his team under pressure, Gaúcho was seen accepting on-field tactical advice from his 40-year-old captain, Thiago Silva, a moment that speaks volumes about his trust in his players’ intelligence and experience. Fluminense’s tactical identity is not defined by a rigid system but by this adaptive pragmatism. Gaúcho’s ability to devise bespoke solutions for high-stakes games and foster a collaborative environment makes his team exceptionally difficult to scout and prepare for, as their approach can change dramatically from one match to the next.
The Defensive Bedrock: Experience and Organization
The foundation of Fluminense’s success is a “stoic defense” that has proven incredibly difficult to breach. The Rio de Janeiro outfit is currently riding a 10-match unbeaten streak across all competitions, a run built on defensive solidity. Their record in the Club World Cup is formidable: three clean sheets in four matches. The only two goals they have conceded came in a single, uncharacteristic 10-minute lapse against Ulsan HD. Perhaps most impressively, they have yet to concede a single goal in the second half of any tournament match, a testament to their concentration and fitness.
This resilience is anchored by two ageless veterans:
- Thiago Silva (40): The legendary center-back and club captain has been “stellar” throughout the tournament, leading by example. Having recently recovered from a hamstring injury, his presence has been pivotal, providing not just defensive security but invaluable on-field intelligence and leadership. His performance statistics for the 2025 season demonstrate his enduring class and importance to the team across all competitions.
- Fábio (44): Between the posts, the seemingly ageless goalkeeper has been a titan. He has kept five clean sheets in his last six matches in all competitions and was instrumental in the win over Inter, making a series of crucial saves to deny Lautaro Martínez and preserve his team’s lead.
The Attacking Catalysts: The Colombian Creator and the Argentine Finisher
While built on a rock-solid defense, Fluminense possesses the attacking quality to decide any match.
- Jhon Arias (27): The Colombian international is the creative heart of the team and has emerged as a genuine candidate for the tournament’s Most Valuable Player. Described as the “best player on the pitch vs. Inter,” he is a dynamic force who leads Fluminense in nearly every attacking metric, including shots, chances created, and successful dribbles. His 2025 season has been exceptional, with statistics showing 4 goals and a remarkable 14 assists in 36 matches, highlighting his elite playmaking ability.
- Germán Cano (37): Leading the line is the Argentine goal machine, regarded as one of the “deadliest center forwards in South America”. A pure finisher, Cano scored the vital opening goal against Inter with a well-placed header, his 106th goal for the club in his 200th appearance. His overall tally for the 2025 season stands at an impressive 15 goals in just 27 appearances, underscoring his clinical nature in front of goal.
Al Hilal: The Ascendant Powerhouse of Asia
The Inzaghi Imprint: A European Tactical Revolution in Riyadh
Al Hilal’s journey to the quarter-finals has been masterminded by Italian tactician Simone Inzaghi, who was appointed just before the tournament and has had an immediate and transformative effect. Revered as “one of the greatest coaches” for his tactical acumen, Inzaghi has instilled a flexible and adaptable system that has taken the Saudi Pro League champions to a new level.
While nominally favoring a 3-5-2 formation, his approach is far more fluid, prioritizing the exploitation of space through intelligent rotations and player movement. Against Manchester City, he unveiled a sophisticated hybrid system that morphed into a 3-4-3 in attack, utilizing width and depth to “obliterate” Pep Guardiola’s famed structure in a tactical masterclass. Inzaghi has shown a willingness to experiment with his star-studded squad, most notably dropping Portuguese playmaker Rúben Neves into a third center-back role, allowing him to dictate the tempo from deep—a move that proved brilliant against City. The core tenets of his style include aggressive pressing traps, creating midfield overloads, and hitting long, diagonal balls to exploit weaknesses in wide areas.
A Constellation of Stars: Quality Across the Pitch
Al Hilal’s roster is brimming with world-class talent, boasting numerous players with elite European experience.
- The Midfield Engine: The team’s heartbeat is the formidable central midfield duo of Rúben Neves and Sergej Milinković-Savić. Neves’s tactical versatility has been a cornerstone of Inzaghi’s system , while Milinković-Savić, a “fantastic” and physically dominant presence, brings a unique combination of “quality and quantity”. His intimate familiarity with Inzaghi’s demands from their shared time at Lazio has been crucial for the team’s rapid adaptation. Their all-around contributions are evident in their impressive 2024/25 season statistics.
- The Brazilian Connection: Spearheading the attack is a potent Brazilian partnership. Marcos Leonardo, a 22-year-old prodigy formerly of Santos, has been a revelation, scoring a decisive brace against Manchester City to take his tournament tally to three goals. Alongside him, former Barcelona and Zenit winger
Malcom delivered a match-winning performance against City, scoring one goal and assisting another, finally providing the “killer blow” his talent promised. Their season stats reflect their significant offensive output.
- The Defensive Wall: The backline is commanded by a trio of world-class talents. Defenders Kalidou Koulibaly and João Cancelo were described as “stellar” in their efforts to contain Manchester City’s attack. Behind them, Moroccan goalkeeper
Yassine “Bono” Bounou delivered a phenomenal performance, saving an incredible 10 of the 13 shots he faced, proving instrumental to the historic victory. Koulibaly’s defensive statistics for the season confirm he remains one of the world’s elite defenders.
A Test of Resolve: The Shadow of Tragedy
While riding a wave of competitive euphoria, Al Hilal’s preparations for this crucial match have been tragically overshadowed. The team has been deeply affected by the death of Liverpool and Portugal forward Diogo Jota, who was a close friend and international teammate of two of Al Hilal’s most important players, Rúben Neves and João Cancelo. Coach Inzaghi acknowledged the profound impact of the news, stating it was a “sad day” and that the “atmosphere was not the same” during training. Teammates have rallied around the Portuguese duo, but confirmed they were “not at their best emotionally,” creating a difficult and somber mood within the camp.
This creates an unprecedented and unpredictable psychological dynamic for Al Hilal. The squad is simultaneously experiencing the highest of highs after their historic win over Manchester City and the lowest of lows following a personal tragedy that has struck at the heart of their dressing room. These powerful, opposing emotional forces are converging at the most critical juncture of their tournament. The outcome of this match may therefore hinge less on pure tactical execution and more on the team’s collective emotional response. Will they be galvanized by a desire to honor Jota’s memory, channeling their grief into a performance of immense power and focus? Or will the emotional weight prove too heavy, draining the mental energy required to implement Inzaghi’s complex and demanding tactical system? This deeply human element introduces a massive variable that tactical analysis alone cannot fully account for, making Al Hilal’s state of mind the great unknown heading into this quarter-final.
The Decisive Battles: Where the Match Will Be Won and Lost
This quarter-final presents a fascinating clash of styles and personnel, with several key confrontations likely to determine the outcome.
Midfield Supremacy: The Engine Room Collision
The battle for control of the midfield will be paramount. Al Hilal’s world-class duo of Sergej Milinković-Savić and Rúben Neves will look to leverage their superior technical quality and tactical intelligence to dictate the tempo and dominate possession. They will be met by Fluminense’s industrious and energetic pairing of
Martinelli and Hércules, whose primary task will be to press relentlessly, disrupt Al Hilal’s rhythm, and initiate quick, vertical transitions upon winning the ball. The victor in this central battle will likely control the entire flow of the game.
Creative Force vs. Defensive Steel: Arias Against the Wall
Fluminense’s primary source of creativity is their talismanic playmaker, Jhon Arias. His ability to find space, dribble past defenders, and deliver decisive passes will be tested against Al Hilal’s formidable defense. Marshaled by the physically imposing and positionally astute
Kalidou Koulibaly, and flanked by elite full-backs João Cancelo and Renan Lodi, this defensive unit proved its mettle against Manchester City’s vaunted attack. The key question is whether Arias can find the pockets of space needed to unlock this robust defensive structure, or if Koulibaly’s experience and dominance will nullify Fluminense’s main creative threat.
Youthful Fire vs. Veteran Ice: The Battle in the Box
In the penalty areas, a classic confrontation awaits. Al Hilal’s young Brazilian forwards, Marcos Leonardo and Malcom, are brimming with confidence and momentum following their heroic performances against Manchester City. They bring pace, directness, and a clinical edge. They will come up against a Fluminense defensive core with a combined age of 84 years in captain
Thiago Silva and goalkeeper Fábio. This duo relies on unparalleled experience, impeccable positioning, and supreme composure over raw athleticism. It is a fascinating test of youthful exuberance against battle-hardened wisdom.
The Managerial Chess Match: Possession vs. Transition
The match is underpinned by a fundamental clash of managerial philosophies. Simone Inzaghi’s Al Hilal will seek to control the game through a patient, possession-based, and fluid system, probing for weaknesses in the opposition’s structure. In stark contrast,
Renato Gaúcho’s Fluminense will likely adopt a more reactive stance, conceding possession, maintaining a compact and disciplined defensive shape, and looking to strike with lethal speed on the counter-attack—a style that has proven highly effective for them throughout the tournament.
This dynamic creates a tactical paradox. Al Hilal, as the more possession-oriented team, will naturally control the ball for long stretches. This plays directly into the hands of Fluminense, whose ideal game state involves absorbing pressure in a deep block before launching devastating counter-attacks into the space vacated by an over-committed opponent, as they demonstrated perfectly against Inter. Inzaghi’s system, which pushes full-backs high up the pitch to create overloads, is particularly susceptible to this strategy. Therefore, the key to the match will not be the possession statistic itself, but the
effectiveness of that possession. If Al Hilal’s patient buildup can be incisive enough to break down Fluminense’s organized low block, they will likely triumph. However, if their attacks break down without a cutting edge, they risk leaving vast spaces for players like Arias and Canobbio to exploit, turning their greatest strength into their most significant vulnerability.
Fluminense vs Al Hilal Probable Lineups and Team News
Team News Summary
- Fluminense: The Brazilian champions will be forced into one key change from the side that defeated Inter Milan. Starting left-back Renê is suspended for the quarter-final after accumulating his second yellow card of the tournament. He is expected to be replaced by Colombian defender Gabriel Fuentes. In midfield,
Matheus Martinelli, who suffered a minor knock in the previous round, has been deemed fit and is expected to retain his starting position.
- Al Hilal: The Saudi powerhouse is contending with more significant absences, particularly in attack. Club captain and star winger Salem Al-Dawsari has been ruled out for the remainder of the tournament with a hamstring injury, a major blow to their creative output. Furthermore, star Serbian striker
Aleksandar Mitrović remains sidelined with an ongoing injury. On a positive note, midfielder
Musab Al-Juwayr has recovered from a knee injury and made a substitute appearance against Manchester City, adding depth to the squad.
Table: Probable Starting XIs (Fluminense vs. Al Hilal)
| Position | Fluminense (Projected 4-2-3-1) | Al Hilal (Projected 4-2-3-1) |
| GK | Fábio | Yassine Bounou |
| RB | Samuel Xavier | João Cancelo |
| CB | Thiago Silva (c) | Kalidou Koulibaly |
| CB | Juan Pablo Freytes | Moteb Al-Harbi |
| LB | Gabriel Fuentes | Renan Lodi |
| CDM | Martinelli | Rúben Neves |
| CDM | Hércules | Nasser Al-Dawsari |
| RAM | Jhon Arias | Malcom |
| CAM | Nonato | Sergej Milinković-Savić |
| LAM | Agustín Canobbio | Mohamed Kanno (c) |
| ST | Germán Cano | Marcos Leonardo |
Lineup Analysis
- Fluminense Formation: After the successful tactical switch to a 3-5-2 against Inter, the consensus is that Renato Gaúcho will revert to his more familiar and balanced 4-2-3-1 formation to counter Al Hilal’s system. Gabriel Fuentes is the natural replacement at left-back for the suspended Renê.
- Al Hilal Formation: Simone Inzaghi is widely expected to stick with the 4-2-3-1 shape that proved so resilient and potent in the historic victory over Manchester City. In the absence of the injured Salem Al-Dawsari, fellow Saudi international Mohamed Kanno is poised to continue on the left wing and will likely inherit the captain’s armband. With Aleksandar Mitrović still unavailable, the in-form Marcos Leonardo will continue to lead the line.
Expert Prediction and Final Thoughts
This quarter-final presents a finely balanced and fascinating encounter. Fluminense’s formidable defensive organization, tactical adaptability, and 10-game unbeaten run are pitted against Al Hilal’s superior individual talent, explosive offensive firepower (seven tournament goals to Fluminense’s six) , and the immense confidence drawn from defeating Manchester City.
The betting markets reflect this tight matchup, with most bookmakers installing Al Hilal as marginal favorites to qualify, largely based on the sheer quality of their squad. Expert predictions are divided, though many lean towards Al Hilal’s star power being the ultimate difference-maker, with “Both Teams to Score” emerging as a popular and logical wager given both teams’ attacking prowess.
However, a crucial and potentially decisive factor will be physical and emotional recovery. Al Hilal endured a grueling 120-minute battle of the highest intensity against Manchester City, a physical toll that cannot be underestimated. Compounding this is the immense emotional strain the squad is under following the tragic news affecting their Portuguese contingent. Fluminense, while also having expended significant energy in their high-intensity performance against Inter, had their match settled in 90 minutes.
This confluence of factors—Al Hilal’s fatigue and emotional burden against Fluminense’s resilience, organization, and proven knack for scoring late goals (half of their tournament goals have come after the 75th minute )—suggests the Brazilian side is perfectly equipped to win a war of attrition. While Al Hilal’s individual brilliance may light up the match, Fluminense’s collective discipline and tactical intelligence may ultimately endure.
Prediction: Fluminense 2-1 Al Hilal (after extra time).
A cagey, tactical battle is expected from the outset. Al Hilal’s quality may see them break the deadlock first. However, Fluminense’s defensive resolve and ability to strike in transition should allow them to claw their way back into the contest. As the game wears on and enters extra time, the physical and emotional fatigue of the past week could prove too much for Al Hilal. A well-timed substitution by Renato Gaúcho or a moment of brilliance on a set-piece could be enough to see the Brazilians through to a hard-fought and famous victory.
