Sabasports Match Preview
Club World Cup: Fluminense vs Ulsan Hyundai
Kickoff Time: 2025-06-22 06:00 (HKT)
Source:REUTERS/MARK SMITH
Fluminense is the champion of the 2023 Copa Libertadores. In their group stage opener, the team delivered a “veterans never die” legend by holding Borussia Dortmund to a draw despite their strong opponents. During the match, this top Brazilian club dominated Borussia Dortmund throughout, registering 14 shot attempts compared to only seven from their rivals. In total, Fluminense attempted 22 tackles, successfully completing 14 of them with a success rate of 64%. Judging by their starting lineup, Fluminense’s defense consists of experienced veterans, such as 45-year-old goalkeeper Fabio Lopes, 40-year-old center-back Thiago Silva, 32-year-old center-back Rene Rodrigues, and 35-year-old right-back Samuel Xavier. It was this aged defense line that shut out Dortmund’s billion-euro forward trio. This draw greatly boosted the morale of Fluminense players. In terms of tactics, Fluminense excels in possession-based play, emphasizing a combination of central and flanking plays with quick transitions. Midfielders link up attack and defense with precise distribution and active movement, while wingers tear through opponents’ defenses with speed. Strikers finish off with clinical finishing.
Ulsan Hyundai is the 2020 AFC Champions League winner but lost their first game to African champion Mamelodi Sundowns FC, leaving them in a very passive position for qualification. From the match, Ulsan Hyundai playing a 5-defender system immediately found themselves under pressure at the start, unable to organize any meaningful attacks against the opponent’s pressing tactics. Throughout the game, Ulsan Hyundai had only 32% possession, completely dominated by the African champion, barely avoiding a wider margin of defeat thanks to a VAR decision overturning a goal. This match exposed the weakness of Asian teams in high-intensity confrontations. After the game, South Korean media criticized head coach Kim Pan-gon for his poor tactical arrangements, putting immense pressure on the team both internally and externally. Actually, looking at Ulsan Hyundai’s performance since 2025, they have shown a polarized situation of being “dominant domestically, weak abroad.” Unfortunately, their early exit from the AFC Champions League didn’t serve as a wake-up call for the team; the reason behind it was due to South Korea’s transfer policies. Because the K-League allows only six foreign players to be registered, compared to teams from South America and Europe where there is no limit on the number of foreign players, Ulsan Hyundai seems to lack competitiveness. Currently, the most valuable player in Ulsan Hyundai is Brazilian striker Erick Farias worth 1.5 million euros, but if he joined Fluminense, it would be hard for him to compete for even a substitute spot.
In terms of the schedule, Fluminense’s first two games will take place at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey City, sparing them the hassle of travel. By contrast, Ulsan Hyundai’s journey could be described as arduous. They rented Charlotte FC’s training base in Charlotte, North Carolina as their accommodation. For their first match, they traveled over 800 kilometers to Orlando, Florida to compete, then returned to rest at their base before traveling another 800 kilometers to New Jersey City in New York State to play again. With long-distance travel and one game every four days, it will be difficult for the players to maintain good form. With the gap in strength between the two teams, and if they are also at a disadvantage in terms of stamina, Ulsan Hyundai may face a situation where they are forced to defend continuously. This confrontation, it is believed that Fluminense can win easily.
Fluminense’s Last 5 Games: DWWWW
25-06-18 Fluminense 0-0 Borussia Dortmund
25-06-02 Internacional 0-2 Fluminense
25-05-30 Fluminense 2-0 Once Caldas
25-05-25 Fluminense 2-1 Vasco da Gama
25-05-22 Aparecidense 1-4 Fluminense
Ulsan Hyundai’s Last 5 Games: LLDWD
25-06-18 Ulsan Hyundai 0-1 Mamelodi Sundowns FC
25-05-31 Jeonbuk FC 3-1 Ulsan Hyundai
25-05-28 Gwangju FC 1-1 Ulsan Hyundai
25-05-24 Ulsan Hyundai 3-2 Gimcheon Sangmu
25-05-17 Gangwon FC 1-1 Ulsan Hyundai
Head To Head Record:
None
Prediction: Fluminense to win