Will the Saudis now storm into the semi-finals?

Especially for players like Cristiano Ronaldo, who was once mocked for saying that the Saudi league is one of the five strongest soccer leagues in the world, the round of 16 of the Club World Cup must have brought a lot of satisfaction. Al Hilal ultimately knocked Manchester City out of the tournament with a 4-3 victory – one of the favorites of the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup. If the Saudis also win against Fluminense, the Blue Waves would even reach the semi-finals.

The problem is that, in addition to the likely absence of two absolute cornerstones such as Salem Al-Dawsari and Aleksandar Mitrovic, there is also a question mark next to Marcos Leonardo. Even without its three top offensive stars, however, Al Hilal SFC still has a lot to offer. This makes the prediction for Fluminense vs. Al Hilal all the more interesting, with the Blue Waves potentially knocking the 2023 Copa Libertadores champions out of the competition.

However, if Leonardo is unable to play alongside Al-Dawsari and Mitrovic, Simone Inzaghi’s team is likely to face a real test of patience against Fluminense. After all, the Brazilians’ great strength lies in their defense, and they have not only kept a clean sheet in three of their four games at the 2025 Club World Cup, but also in five of their last six competitive games across all competitions. The 2-0 win against Inter Milan also caught the eye.

Fluminense – Statistics & current form

Fluminense Rio de Janeiro is currently only sixth in the Brazilian Série A, but remained completely unbeaten in the last six competitive games before the 2025 Club World Cup (five wins, one draw). The Tricolor has now taken this momentum with them to the United States, where Renato Gaúcho’s team not only remained unbeaten in the preliminary round (one win, two draws), including a 0-0 draw with Borussia Dortmund, but also took advantage of their underdog status in the round of 16 to knock Inter Milan out of the competition with a 2-0 win.

Now, at the latest, the oldest football club in Rio de Janeiro (founded in 1902) is likely to be taken even more seriously than before, even though the betting odds for Fluminense against Al Hilal with Apple Pay are not exactly favorable for another Brazilian victory. In terms of the total market value of the squad, the team from Sugarloaf Mountain is only worth about half as much as the Saudi club.

Fluminense’s defense is almost impenetrable

Nevertheless, betting against the team from the Sugar Loaf Mountain could turn out to be an expensive mistake. After all, Fluminense’s defense is pretty solid. The Tricolor have kept a clean sheet in five of their last six competitive games across all competitions. In the Club World Cup, they only conceded two goals in the match against Ulsan, but these were insignificant in the context of a resounding 4-2 victory that ultimately secured their place in the knockout stages.

Nevertheless, it should also be noted that the Brazilians failed to score in two of their four matches at the Club World Cup. At times, their overly defensive style of play has been at the expense of their offense, which means that it would not necessarily be a foregone conclusion that the “Time de Guerreiros” (the Warriors) would be able to fight back from a 0-1 deficit against the Saudis. Renato Gaúcho will therefore have to find the optimal balance between offense and defense.

Predicted Fluminense line-up:
Fábio – Fuentes, Freytes, Silva, Ignácio, Xavier – Bernal, Martinelli – Nonato – Cano, Arias

Al Hilal – Statistics & current form

Although there was no reason to complain in the Saudi Pro League, coach Mohammad Bander Al Shaloub had to vacate his place on the Al Hilal bench ahead of the 2025 Club World Cup. The reason: former Inter Milan coach Simone Inzaghi was available and, after reportedly lengthy talks, was convinced to join the project. Just in time for the big stage, the club, which is packed with top stars well known in Europe, has been given a world-class coach who has so far been able to get the most out of the team.

The Blue Waves already impressed in the preliminary round with a 1-1 draw against Real Madrid, before causing a real sensation in the round of 16 when they knocked Manchester City, one of the tournament favorites, out of the competition with a 4-3 win after extra time. It should be noted that they did so without captain Salem Al-Dawsari (thigh injury) and goal-getter Aleksandar Mitrovic (calf injury), who, together with strike partner Marcos Leonardo, has scored 36 goals in the Saudi league.

Will Marcos Leonardo miss Al Hilal’s quarter-final?

This makes it all the more bitter that Marcos Leonardo may now also be unable to play, which would be a huge blow for the team. Things are not looking too good at the moment. However, if the 22-year-old Brazilian is fit again in time, this should drastically increase the Saudis’ chances of winning. This makes it all the more interesting to speculate now, especially since Bet-at-home is currently offering odds of 2.55 for a Fluminense win against Al Hilal in regular time, where a Bet-at-home voucher can also be used.

With strong creative players such as Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, Joao Cancelo and the ever-present Rúben Neves, the team still has enough quality across the board to break down the defensively strong Brazilians, especially as Al Hilal is certainly not lacking momentum. The Blue Waves have not lost in nine competitive games (six wins, three draws), keeping a clean sheet in two of their four Club World Cup matches.

Al Hilal’s predicted line-up:
Bono – Al-Harbi, Lodi, Neves, Koulibaly, Cancelo – N. Al-Dawsari, Kanno, Milinkovic-Savic, Malcom – Leonardo

Fluminense – Al Hilal Head-to-head record

There has never been an intercontinental competitive match between these two teams, who are now meeting for the first time ever. Consequently, there is no head-to-head data available that could influence our prediction for Fluminense vs. Al Hilal.

Fluminense – Al Hilal Tip

All in all, our prediction for Fluminense vs. Al Hilal is that the Blue Waves will advance, even though both teams knocked out a real heavyweight in the round of 16 and prevented a rematch of the 2023 Champions League final between Manchester City and Inter Milan. Both teams are very solid defensively. It is no coincidence that the Brazilians have kept a clean sheet in five of their last six competitive games across all competitions.

This quarter-final could therefore be a low-scoring affair, with results such as 0-0 or 1-1 and extra time a very real possibility. However, as we still see the Saudis as slight favourites, we recommend a combined bet on double chance X2 with under 3.5 goals.