Fluminense are looking to build on a strong start to the Club World Cup when they take on Ulsan this Saturday in Group F.
Borussia Dortmund were the favourites to win this group before a ball was kicked, but that’s very much in doubt now after the Germans struggled to make much happen in a goalless draw against Fluminense in their opening game.
The Brazilian side were competitive throughout and had 14 shots compared to the Bundesliga side’s seven. Renato Gaucho’s men looked organised defensively and they’ve now kept three straight clean sheets heading into this match. The side that currently lies sixth in the Campeonato Brasileiro Serie A will be in a really strong position to qualify if they can put three points on the board here.
As for Ulsan, they are already in a position where a defeat would mean elimination. That’s following a 1-0 loss to Mamelodi Sundowns in their opening game, with Iqraam Rayners scoring the only goal for the South African side. Ulsan aren’t having the best season domestically either and currently sit only fourth in the K League having won the title last year.
How the bookies view it: Fluminense expected to triumph
The bookies are clearly expecting the Brazilian side to triumph here. BoyleSports make them 2/7 favourites, while they look good at 5/2 to win by one goal given this isn’t a side packed full of natural goalscorers. Ulsan are priced at 9/1 to win the game, while you can back the draw at 4/1.
Recent head-to-head: New Jersey to host first meeting
Like so many of these early matches at this tournament, this is a clash between two clubs who have never previously met. Both sides do have prior Club World Cup experience though, with Fluminense the runners-up to Manchester City in 2023, while Ulsan were knocked out in the second round at the 2020 tournament.
Players to watch: Everaldo to lead the line
The favourites are likely to again go with Everaldo as their main striker in this match. The 33-year-old joined Fluminense in the winter and has scored eight goals in 32 appearances so far in 2025.
Ulsan meanwhile will be hoping that Brazilian forward Erick Farias can inflict some damage on his compatriots. He has netted eight times in the K League this season.
Predicted Lineups
There are two notable injury absentees for Gaucho with Otavio and Yeferson Soteldo both currently sidelined.
We’re more likely to see changes from the Korean side after a disappointing start to the competition, with Venezuelan winger Matias Lacava in with a good chance of coming in.
Fluminense: Fabio, Xavier, Silva, Freytes, Rene, Hercules, Nonato, Martinelli, Arias, Everaldo, Canobbio.
Ulsan: Cho, Um, Trojak, Kim, Sang-Woo, Ludwigson, Ko, Bojanic, Lacava, Lee, Farias.
Anything else catch the eye?
Despite some obvious mismatches on paper, there haven’t been that many totally one-sided games at this tournament, and all the signs are that Fluminense will need to work hard for the victory here.
They’ve only managed 15 goals in 11 league games this season and failed to convert any of their opportunities in their opening game, despite spells when they were on top. Given that, backing Fluminense and under 3.5 goals at 10/11 with BoyleSports could be worth considering.
The same bookmaker has odds of 14/5 for Draw/Fluminense (HT/FT) which again looks quite appealing given they’ll certainly expect to wear Ulsan down eventually and win this match.
GambleAware