Fluminense and Al Hilal will face off in the first quarter-final of the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup at Camping World Stadium, Orlando, on Friday.
Both teams caused surprises to make it to the last eight, with Fluminense knocking out Inter Milan and Al Hilal shocking Manchester City after extra time.
This means there won't be a reunion for Simone Inzaghi, who departed Inter Milan to become the coach of the Saudi Pro League club just before the tournament.
Inzaghi has shaped Al Hilal into his preferred 3-5-2 formation and might encounter a similar setup from Renato Gaucho, who switched to three at the back for Flu's 2-0 win over Inter.
Team news
Fluminense will be missing suspended left wing-back Rene, who was cautioned against Inter.
Gabriel Fuentes, who started the second group match against Ulsan HD at left-back, is a key option to step in.
Matheus Martinelli is dealing with an injury picked up in the round of 16 and could be replaced by Hercules, who scored the winning goal against Inter, in midfield.
Otherwise, Renato Gaucho is expected to stick with the same lineup that beat Inter with Thiago Silva in the heart of the defense.
Al Hilal has no new injury worries, despite Inzaghi making several changes during their thrilling 4-3 win over Manchester City.
Mohamed Kanno, who came in for the injured Salem Al-Dawsari, is likely to start in midfield alongside Ruben Neves, Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, and Nasser Al-Dawsari.
Malcolm will play further ahead behind lone striker Marcos Leonardo, with Aleksandar Mitrovic still not fully fit.
The stats
Fluminense and Al Hilal have each faced the fewest number of shots on target (17) among the remaining eight teams in the Club World Cup.
Al Hilal have scored two or more goals in six of their last nine games but have conceded three goals in four of their last ten matches in all competitions.
Fluminense has never been defeated by Saudi opposition in the Club World Cup, while Al Hilal has both won and lost against Brazilian teams in previous editions.
Al Hilal created 3.16 xG and scored four goals from six shots on target against Manchester City, despite only having 31% possession and being outshot 30-17.
Prediction
Al Hilal's dramatic extra-time win against Pep Guardiola's team could see them considered favorites against Fluminense by some.
However, they might need to tighten up defensively after allowing City to have 30 shots, with 15 on target, in Charlotte.
Jhon Arias could pose a threat for Fluminense with his standout displays in the United States.
The Colombian attacking midfielder has been a constant danger to opponents with his speed and eye for goal.
Arias has had at least three shots in three of his four Club World Cup matches this summer and will aim to test Al Hilal goalkeeper Yassine Bounou whenever he has the chance.