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Fluminense will square off against Al Ahly at the King Abdullah Sports City in the semi-finals of the 2023 FIFA Club World Cup on Monday.
Fluminense will play for the first time in the competition after lifting their first-ever Copa Libertadores trophy in November. They finished seventh in the 2023 Brazilian Serie A standings and, in their last game of the season, lost 3-2 at home to Gremio.
Jhon Arias and John Kennedy were on the scoresheet for them but Luis Suarez proved to be the hero for Gremio, bagging a brace that helped his side finish second in the league table, just two points behind champions Palmeiras.
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Al Ahly booked their place in the semi-finals with a comfortable 3-1 win over Al Ittihad on Friday. They are playing for the ninth time in the competition and made that experience count thanks to goals from Ali Maâloul, Hussein El Shahat, and Emam Ashour.
Anthony Modeste was sent off in the 90th minute and is suspended for the match. Al Ittihad made the most of their numerical advantage and Karim Benzema scored the consolation goal for the Saudi team in the second minute of added time.
Fluminense vs Al Ahly Head-to-Head and Key Numbers
- The two teams will meet for the first time in a competitive match. They met in a friendly in 1961 in Cairo, with the Brazilian side recording a 2-1 win.
- Al Ahly have squared off against Brazilian teams five times in the Club World Cup. They met Flamengo in the third-place playoffs last season, suffering a 4-2 loss.
- Fluminense have suffered two defeats on the spin, conceding four goals while scoring just twice.
- Al Ahly have enjoyed a nine-game unbeaten run across all competitions, with five games in that period ending in draws. They have kept clean sheets in three of their last five games.
Fluminense vs Al Ahly Prediction
Fluzão have suffered defeats in their two games in December and will look to return to winning ways. They will play for the first time after eight days and head coach Fernando Diniz will hope that his players are well-rested for the match.
They have four-time FIFA Club World Cup winner Marcelo in their ranks, so his experience will come in handy here. The hosts have called up a 23-man squad for the competition and everyone has trained well, including defender Samuel Xavier, who has recovered from an injury.
Nadi El Watanniyah head into the match on a nine-game unbeaten run and have lost just once in all competitions since September. Four of their last six games have produced under 2.5 goals, keeping three clean sheets and failing to score twice in that period.
They pulled off an upset in their meeting against Al Ittihad and are likely to continue that form in this match. With that in mind and considering their history in the competition, we back Al Ahly to eke out a narrow win.
Prediction: Fluminense 1-2 Al Ahly
Fluminense vs Al Ahly Betting Tips
Tip 1: Result - Al Ahly to win
Tip 2: Goals - Over/Under 2.5 Goals - Over 2.5 goals
Tip 3: At least a goal to be scored in the second half - Yes
Tip 4: Emam Ashour to score or assist any time - Yes
