Will the Reds pass the tough test?
With a lackluster performance and a 0-1 defeat, FC Bayern Munich squandered the group victory on the last matchday of the group stage and had to settle for second place. This means that the Reds avoided Chelsea FC, but now face the team that beat the Londoners 3-1 in the preliminary round. It is therefore anything but a foregone conclusion that the German record champions will win against Flamengo.
The Rubro-Negro are anything but walk-in customers. The Rio de Janeiro club currently leads the Brazilian Série A table with 24 points and a goal difference of 24:4 and is now unbeaten in eleven competitive games in a row (nine wins, two draws). The Brazilians have conceded just two goals in their last six competitive games, which certainly influences our prediction for Flamengo against Bayern.
It should be noted that Vincent Kompany rotated seven players in the last group game and rested numerous key players, which means he now has fresh legs available for the round of 16. However, FCB struggled time and again in the 2024/25 season against teams with very solid defenses. Remember the cup defeat against Leverkusen (0-1) or the Champions League away game at Aston Villa (0-1), when overwhelming dominance on the pitch failed to translate into goals.
Flamengo – Statistics & current form
Clube de Regatas do Flamengo – CR Flamengo for short – has been in existence since 1895 and is based in Rio de Janeiro, where the team, currently coached by Filipe Luís, plays its games in the venerable Maracana stadium. The Rubro-Negro (meaning “red and black”) have won the Copa Libertadores three times and also secured the Intercontinental Cup in 1981, the predecessor to the current Club World Cup.
Most recently, Flamengo won the Série A championship in 2020, where the traditional club currently ranks first. They earned 24 out of a possible 33 points in their first eleven league games, conceding just four goals – the best record in the league. With the same defensive stability, the players from the Sugar Loaf Mountain have now strolled to a group victory in the United States of America, which did not come completely out of the blue.
Flamengo concedes hardly any goals
In addition to the two underdogs Espérance Tunis and Los Angeles FC, CR Flamengo also left Conference League champions Chelsea FC behind. The Blues were overwhelmed 3-1 in their second group game after trailing 0-1 at halftime. It is worth noting that five of the Rubro-Negro’s six tournament goals were scored after the break – and again, they always scored in the last half hour, which speaks for their excellent physical condition.
The Brazilians are now unbeaten in eleven competitive games (nine wins, two draws), which is primarily due to their defensive stability. The defense around former Juve stars Danulo and Alex Sandro has conceded just two goals in the last six competitive games. Accordingly, the tip for Flamengo against Bayern is that the Rubro-Negro will be able to keep a clean sheet against Munich for a long time.
Predicted Flamengo line-up:
Rossi – Lucas, Pereira, Danilo, Sandro – Jorginho, Pulgar – Araújo, Arrascaeta, Gerson – Plata
Bayern – Statistics & current form
FC Bayern Munich has already won the Club World Cup twice, in 2013 and 2020, and was one of the favorites ahead of the expanded 2025 edition. At first, it looked as if the German record champions would live up to their role as favorites. A 10-0 rout of amateur club Auckland City was followed by a 2-1 win over Boca Juniors, which secured their place in the round of 16.
However, Munich then lost their final game 1-0 to Benfica Lisbon, meaning they had to settle for second place. This means that they will not only face a highly unpleasant opponent, whose defense will have to be broken down first, but also, if they advance to the quarterfinals, they will have to play another midday game in exhausting tropical temperatures. The mood after the defeat, which ended a nine-game unbeaten streak (six wins, three draws), was correspondingly poor.
Can Bayern crack the Brazilian defensive wall?
However, the advantage is that the cornerstones of Vincent Kompany’s squad are now well rested going into the round of 16, which is also reflected in the bookmakers’ assessments. The betting providers with Apple Pay are offering odds of more than 1.70 for a Flamengo win against Bayern in regular time, even though it was precisely such defensively strong teams that the FCB struggled with time and again in 2024/25.
It is clear that the German record champions, who are still without Min-jae Kim and Alphonso Davies in defense, which is why new signing Jonathan Tah is already in high demand, cannot afford to play too openly, as the Rubro-Negro are also capable of striking coldly on the counterattack. There is therefore much to suggest that it will be a tough game, especially as, despite the late kick-off time, the temperatures at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami will also play their part in ensuring that legs will start to feel heavy at some point after a very long season.
Predicted Bayern line-up:
Neuer – Guerreiro, Tah, Stanisic, Laimer – Coman, Goretzka, Kimmich, Olise – Gnabry, Kane
Flamengo – Bayern Head-to-head record / H2H record
There has never been an intercontinental competitive match between these two teams before. Consequently, there is no head-to-head data available that could influence our prediction for Flamengo vs. Bayern in any way.
Flamengo – Bayern Tip
For our taste, the betting odds from the top bookmakers are leaning a little too heavily toward Bayern in the Flamengo vs. Bayern match, given that the Bundesliga side faces a very tough opponent overall. The Rubro-Negro impressed in the preliminary round with a 3-1 win over Conference League winners Chelsea, among others, and have not lost any of their last eleven competitive games (nine wins, two draws).
The Brazilians’ great strength lies in their very precise defensive work. FCB, who were completely lackluster against Benfica Lisbon, especially in the first half, will have to come up with something to break down the Rubro-Negro’s defensive wall. It will certainly be a game of patience, which is why we favor a low-scoring round of 16 match between Flamengo and Bayern.
In our opinion, the most interesting bet here is that there will be less than 1.5 goals in the first half, which we are backing at odds of 1.50 at Bet-at-home with five units.