Fluminense vs Al Ahly: Predicted lineup, injury news, head-to-head, telecast

Published at :December 16, 2023 at 2:31 PM

Modified at :January 14, 2024 at 12:24 AM

The oldest football club from Rio de Janeiro to debut in the FIFA Club World Cup

Just a month ago, Fluminense won 2-1 against Club Atlético Boca Juniors after extra time in the 2023 Copa CONMEBOL Libertadores finals. It was the first-ever title for the Campeonato Brasileiro Serie A side. The win also allowed the oldest football club from Rio de Janeiro to seed directly in the semi-final stage of the 2023 FIFA Club World Cup. Yesterday night a contest between Al Ahly and Al Ittihad decided their opponents.

The Egyptian side of Al Ahly went head-to-head with Al Ittihad in the second round of the Club World Cup. The CAF Champions League winners proved too much to handle and surprised the world by beating the 2022-23 Saudi Pro League winners 3-1 fair and square. Now they will be up against Fernando Diniz’s Fluminense in the semi-finals of the FIFA Club World Cup.

Kick-Off:

Monday, 18 December 2023 at 11:30 PM IST (6:00 PM UK)

Location: King Abdullah Sport City Stadium

Form

Fluminense (in all competitions): L-L-W-W-W

Al Ahly (in all competitions): W-D-D-D-W

Players to Watch

André (Fluminense)

In the Fluminense camp, all eyes will be on the 22-year-old defensive midfielder André. Reportedly English Premier League clubs Liverpool and Arsenal are huge admirers of the talent. The number 7 brings in a vast array of skills such as passing, dribbling, tackling and interceptions.

Mahmoud Kahraba (Al Ahly)

The Egyptian centre-forward played a crucial role in beating Al Ittihad 3-1. Although Mahmoud Kahraba didn’t net a goal himself, the Al Ahly number seven provided the two assists for the night’s open-play goals. The first one was to Hussein El Shahat and three minutes later to midfielder Emam Ashour.

Match Facts

This will be the first-ever meeting between the Brazilian outfit Fluminense and Egyptian side Al Ahly
The winner will take on either Manchester City or Urawa Red Diamonds in the Club World Cup finals
Fluminense automatically got the semi-final seeding while Al Ahly had to go through Al Ittihad

Injury & Team News

For the Club World Cup debut, Fernando Diniz has a fully fit squad. The Brazilian club only has one long-term absentee. Left-back Jorge is recovering from a cruciate ligament tear.

Marcel Koller has a fully functional squad apart from one player out suspended. In the second-round game, Anthony Modeste elbowed opposition defender Ahmed Hegazi. This saw him getting a red card which also means Modeste won’t feature in the semi-finals due to suspension.

Head to Head

This semi-final showdown at the 2023 FIFA Club World Cup on Monday will be the first-ever meeting between the Brazilian outfit Fluminense and Egyptian side Al Ahly.

Predicted Lineup

Fluminense predicted lineup (4-2-3-1):

Fabio (GK); Guga, Nino, Melo, Marcelo; André, Martinelli; Arias, Ganso, Keno; Cano

Al Ahly predicted lineup (4-3-3):

El Shenawy (GK); Hany, El Hanafi, Abdelmonem, Maaloul; Ashour, Attia, Koka; Tau, Kahraba, El Shahat

Match Prediction for Fluminense vs Al Ahly

The Egyptian side made great strides in the competition after beating Al Ittihad 3-1. Had Karim Benzema scored the penalty, the outcome could have been different. Fluminense have a strong group of players who will be after a debut win in the competition.

Prediction: Fluminense 2-1 Al Ahly

Telecast for Fluminense vs Al Ahly

India – Eurosport, Fancode, FIFA+

UK – TNT Sports, FIFA+

US – TNT Sports, Discovery+, FIFA+

Nigeria – StarTimes, FIFA+

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