Preview: Fluminense vs Ulsan Hyundai – prediction, team news, lineups

Brazilian outfit Fluminense take on South Korean outfit Ulsan Hyundai in their second FIFA Club World Cup Group F fixture at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey on Saturday.

While Tricolor picked up an admirable point in their opening match against Borussia Dortmund, the Tigers were narrowly beaten by Mamelodi Sundowns on matchday one.

Match preview

Fluminense entered their opening fixture with Group F favourites Borussia Dortmund as underdogs, but they certainly held their own in Tuesday’s goalless stalemate with their German counterparts and will perhaps feel that their performance was worthy of all three points.

Tricolor were well-organised defensively and regularly posed a threat on the counter-attack, but they were unable to take advantage of Dortmund’s sluggishness and will be ruing some questionable decision-making and wasteful finishing in the final third.

Nevertheless, head coach Renato Gaucho was “immensely proud and delighted” with his team’s showing against “such a formidable adversary” and a point picked up in what was theoretically their toughest group match has given Fluminense a realistic opportunity of topping Group F.

Fluminense are now bidding to extend their unbeaten run across all competitions to eight games, a run that includes four successive victories and 10 goals scored prior to their draw with Dortmund.

The 2023 Copa Libertadores, who lost in the final of the 2023 Club World Cup to Manchester City, currently sit sixth in the Brasileiro Serie A table, four points behind the summit after winning six, drawing two and losing three of their opening 11 matches this year.

After losing both of their two games at the 2012 and 2020 Club World Cups, Ulsan Hyundai kick-started their third appearance on the global stage with another defeat, going down 1-0 to South African outfit Mamelodi Sundowns on Wednesday.

The Tigers struggled to create clear-cut opportunities and a first-half strike from Iqraam Rayners was enough to condemn the South Korean side to their eighth defeat in their last nine matches against foreign opposition.

Head coach Pan-gon Kim expressed his disappointment after a match they “had to win unconditionally” to boost their hopes of reaching the knockout rounds, and the 56-year-old has now admitted that his team face an uphill battle in their remaining two group fixtures.

Sitting bottom of Group F, but only one point behind Saturday’s opponents Fluminense, Ulsan have won only one of their last five games in all competitions and have lost back-to-back competitive matches for the first time since April, also losing 3-1 to Jeonbuk in their most recent K League fixture at the end of May.

The five-time K League champions – winners in the last three seasons – earned their place at the Club World Cup courtesy of their AFC ranking pathway on the back of superb showings in Asia, and Kim is now tasked with galvanising his group as they endeavour to rediscover their winning formula at a crucial stage in their campaign.

Fluminense Club World Cup form:

D

Fluminense form (all competitions):

D W W W W D

Ulsan Hyundai Club World Cup form:

L

Ulsan Hyundai form (all competitions):

W D W D L L 

Team News

Fluminense’s new signing Yeferson Soteldo arrived at the club with a muscle injury earlier this month and missed the draw with Dortmund. The Venezuelan winger is set to be assessed ahead of kickoff on Saturday.

Gaucho selected an experienced defensive lineup on matchday one that included four defenders and a goalkeeper with a combined age totalling to 178. 44-year-old shot-stopper Fabio made his 1,375th career appearance and should once again be protected by captain Thiago Silva, 40, Samuel Xavier, 35, Rene, 32, and Juan Pablo Freytes, 25.

Colombia forward Jhon Arias was a standout performer against Dortmund who posed a threat in the final third, and the winger could be joined in attack by Everaldo and Agustin Canobbio, as Matheus Martinelli, Nonato and Hercules link arms in centre-midfield.

As for Ulsan, Kim is unlikely to make too many changes, if any, to his starting lineup, with a five-man backline set to include Swedish left-back Gustav Ludwigson and 35-year-old captain Kim Young-gwon, who has earned 112 international caps for South Korea.

Brazilian forward Erick Farias, who has scored nine goals in 16 games since joining the club in March, is expected to lead the line and could be supported in the final third by Seung-beom Ko and former Bolton and Crystal Palace man Lee Chung-yong.

Fluminense possible starting lineup:

Fabio; Xavier, Thiago Silva, Freytes, Rene; Nonato, Hercules, Martinelli; Arias, Everaldo, Canobbio

Ulsan Hyundai possible starting lineup:

Jo; Um, Kim. Y, Seo, Trojak, Ludwigson; Jung, Bojanic; Lee, Farias, Ko

We say: Fluminense 2-0 Ulsan Hyundai

Both teams will be aware of the important of this weekend’s fixture in boosting their chances of securing a top-two finish in Group F. Fluminense will enter this contest as the favourites and if Ulsan are unable to improve in the final third, then the Brazilian outfit should have few problems claiming a routine win.

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