Raphael Durand
Dailysports's expert
One of the second-round fixtures of the Club World Cup group stage will take place this Sunday at MetLife Stadium in New York, where Brazilian side Fluminense will face Ulsan Hyundai. I’m backing a bet on goals in this encounter, with an attractive odds offering.
Match preview
Fluminense kicked off the tournament with a cautious yet mature display against Borussia Dortmund — while they couldn’t find the net, the Brazilians looked the more convincing side against the German giants. Renato Gaúcho’s team is renowned for maintaining a high tempo and controlling possession, which allows them to build attacks confidently even against well-organized defenses. The draw in the opening round snapped a long streak without draws on the international stage, further underlining Fluminense’s fighting spirit.
However, it’s worth noting that their attacking line has been stalling a bit in recent matches — two consecutive games without scoring is quite uncharacteristic for the South American outfit. Still, against Ulsan’s fragile defense, Fluminense have every chance to return to their usual scoring ways. The Brazilians consistently create chances and almost always find the net in home tournaments — fans have every reason to expect goals in this match-up.
Ulsan Hyundai once again lived up to their reputation as a team that struggles on the big international stage — a defeat to Mamelodi Sundowns added another link to their chain of disappointments. Kim Pan-gon’s men traditionally try to play compact and rely on quick counterattacks, but defensive issues undermine the efforts of their attackers. The team has now conceded in each of their last nine Club World Cup matches — a telling statistic.
It’s also important to highlight Ulsan’s major issues in front of goal: the side has failed to score in the second half in nine of their last eleven AFC Champions League and Club World Cup outings. A lack of cutting edge up front, combined with regular defensive lapses, makes the Korean club one of the most comfortable opponents for a talented Fluminense side. It’s hard to see the visitors keeping things even remotely close in this one.
Probable line-ups
- Fluminense: Fábio – Juan Pablo Freitas, Rene Rodriguez, Samuel Xavier, Thiago Silva – Mateus Lima, Nonato, Jhon Arias, Hercules Pereira – Everaldo Stum, Agustin Canobbio
- Ulsan Hyundai: Jo Hyeon-woo – Kim Young-gwon, Gustav Ludwigson, Myung-hwan Seo, Milos Trojak – Darijan Bojanic, Jung Woo-young, Ko Seung-bum, Lee Chung-yong – Erik Samuel, Um Won-sang
Match facts and head-to-head
- Fluminense have not scored more than three goals in 10 of their last 11 international matches.
- Ulsan Hyundai have lost eight of their last nine matches in the Club World Cup and AFC Champions League.
- There have been no previous meetings between Fluminense and Ulsan Hyundai.
Prediction
Fluminense should make the most of Ulsan’s weak defense — the Brazilians are set on taking all three points and moving to the top of the group. Once again, the Koreans are likely to play the role of convenient sparring partners, unlikely to offer any real resistance. As for the bet, our pick is 'Total under 3.0' goals at odds of 1.60.
