Club World Cup Preview: Inter vs Fluminense – Team News, Line-ups & Prediction | OneFootball

Bank of America Stadium forms the backdrop for a handsomely-looking FIFA Club World Cup last-16 tie between Inter and Fluminense. A place in the quarter-finals is on the line as the two world football’s heavyweights gear up for their maiden encounter.

Vying for their second Club World Cup title after hoisting the trophy in 2010, Inter had plain sailing in Group E. Despite a fiercely contested 1-1 draw in a curtain-raising fixture against CF Monterrey, the Serie A runners-up finished top of the section, securing a favorable draw.

Indeed, the Nerazzurri first fought back from an early deficit to see off Urawa Red Diamonds 2-1 before beating River Plate 2-0 in an ill-tempered group-stage finale. In doing so, Inter delivered a perfect response to an infamous drubbing in the Champions League final.

New manager Cristian Chivu got the response he wanted after Paris Saint-Germain thrashed Inter in Simone Inzaghi’s farewell game. However, there’s no room for complacency as the San Siro giants seek redemption for a first trophyless season in six years.

No strangers to facing Brazilian opposition, Inter met Santos in the Intercontinental Supercup in June 1969, going down 1-0. Fluminsense will hope for a similar outcome after squeezing into the knockouts despite failing to get on the scoresheet in two of their three Group F clashes.

Match Preview

Inter

Considered among the hottest candidates to ascend the Club World Cup throne, Inter met expectations in the group phase after a slow start. Particularly impressive in the closing stages, Chivu’s side scored beyond the 85th minute in their last two games.

Another scoring appearance would probably go a long way toward helping the Nerazzurri lock down a quarter-final berth. For context, they’ve not lost a game when finding the back of the net since January (W21, D9). Furthermore, they’ve been prolific lately, netting 2+ goals in six of their last eight outings.

Lautaro Martinez, who inspired Inter to a top-table finish in Group E, will be under the spotlight. El Toro struck an equalizer against Monterrey and initiated Inter’s late comeback against Urawa with a stunning overhead kick. He’ll likely be central to Inter’s bid to win three consecutive games inside 90 minutes for the first time since March.

Fluminense

It’s been over half a century since Fluminense last met Inter, yet it was a friendly back in 1961, which ended 1-1. That result forms part of Flu’s remarkable record of ten wins from 14 meetings with Italian clubs (D4), making it for promising reading if you’re a Fluminense fan.

However, Renato Gaucho’s charges head into proceedings as betting outsiders after a lackluster group-stage form. They shared the spoils with Borussia Dortmund and Mamelodi Sundowns in a brace of scoreless draws en route to a second-place finish.

Interestingly, their only triumph was a 4-2 comeback against K League 1 outfit Ulsan Hyundai on Gameweek 2. That’s one of only five matches from Fluminense’s last 18 to produce over 2.5 goals, highlighting the potential for a low-scoring showdown.

Fluminense’s defensive resilience massively contributed to that notorious lack of goals. Indeed, they’ve not conceded beyond halftime in their last seven outings.

Team News

Per Gazzetta dello Sport, Marcus Thuram will be in contention on Monday after completing a ‘full training session’ earlier today. However, Inter will be without several first-team stalwarts, including Hakan Calhanoglu, Benjamin Pavard, Yann Bisseck, and Piotr Zielinski. Mehdi Taremi has failed to meet the squad despite escaping from a war zone in Tehran.

On the other hand, Fluminense boss Renato Gaucho cannot call upon Otavio, Isaque Silva, and Riquelme Felipe. Encouragingly, summer arrival Yeferson Soteldo is back from a minor fitness problem and could stake a claim for a place in the starting XI. Meanwhile, ex-Milan star Thiago Silva will have an added motive to end Inter’s run in North America.

Inter vs Fluminense Potential Starting Line-ups

Inter (3-5-2): Sommer; Darmian, Acerbi, Bastoni; Dumfries, Barella, Asllani, Mkhitaryan, Augusto; F. P. Esposito, Martinez.

Fluminense (4-2-3-1): Fabio; Xavier, Silva, Freytes, Rene; Hercules, Martinelli; Arias, Nonato, Canobbio; Everaldo.

Inter vs Fluminense Prediction

Given Fluminense’s outstanding defensive exploits, this contest could go down to the wire, especially if Inter fail to unlock the Brazilian side’s stubborn rearguard in the first half. Nonetheless, the Nerazzurri should have enough firepower to outgun the Tricolour and potentially book a mouth-watering quarter-final date against Manchester City or Al-Hilal.