Match for the Club World Cup’s round of 16, at the Hard Rock Stadium, in Miami. Single-elimination game between Inter Milan and Fluminense.
Match Facts
- This is the first-ever match between the two.
- Fluminense are now 9 games unbeaten (6-3-0), keeping five clean sheets.
- Four of Fluminense’s last five games ended with Under 2.5 Goals.
- Inter have lost just one of their last 10 games, and that was the Champions League final against PSG.
- All three group stage Inter games saw 2-3 goals scored.
- Each club has conceded twice in this competition, all in the first half of their respective games.
Betting Tip Inter - Fluminense
There is, of course, an obvious talent disparity between the two teams, and Inter have shown they can take care of business in this tournament. They are able to create chances at will, something that has been a bit of a weak spot for Fluminense. The Italians have the upper hand here.
- Betting tip: Inter Win
- Odds: 1.82 (at the time of writing)
- Stake: 5
Inter
Inter needed just a draw to secure a spot in the knockout stage, but the Italians opted to go for the win that would place them atop Group E. They succeeded, defeating River Plate, 2-0. Inter scored both goals in the last 20 minutes of the game, following River dropping down to 10 men in the 66th minute.
Talented youngster Esposito scored the first goal of the game in the 72nd minute, continuing his impressive play in this tournament, and Bastoni doubled his team’s lead in stoppage time. With that win, Inter reached 7 points, overcoming the first game draw (1-1) against Monterrey and getting ready to go further in this competition, just as they did in this season’s UEFA Champions League.
The early returns from manager Cristian Chivu are positive. He was recently appointed as Inter boss, just before this tournament, and the players have started to show they are becoming acclimated and familiarised with his philosophy. They are the second-most productive team regarding shot attempts, and they maintain an impressive 67.8% possession in their games.
Fluminense
Fluminense’s performance in Group F was not the desired one for the Brazilians, and they were perhaps the least convincing team from their country to participate in the group stage. Still, Fluminense were able to secure a spot in the knockout stage, avoiding defeat (1-2-0). The win over Ulsan in the second game was decisive (4-2), bookended by two goalless draws.
Their recent clash against Mamelodi Sundowns was by far their worst performance in the competition. They did not have the necessary intensity to seriously challenge their opponents - their only real chance was a shot by forward Cano that hit the woodwork. Goalkeeper Fabio stepped up on multiple occasions, especially in the early stages of the game, to put out fires and secure the clean sheet.
Out of all the teams that qualified for the next stage, Fluminense are one of the worst in the attacking side of the game, creating just five big chances in total across three games.
