Fluminense vs Ulsan HD Prediction: South Koreans to suffer with Flu

Neither Fluminense nor Ulsan Hyundai managed to win their opening game at the 2025 Fifa Club World Cup, with the former drawing 0-0 with Borussia Dortmund and the latter losing 1-0 to Mamelodi Sundowns. The two teams meet on Saturday (23:00 BST, DAZN) with both looking to get a first victory of the tournament under their belt.

Below are my Fluminense vs Ulsan HD predictions, supported by all the latest team news and match odds, ahead of this Group F meeting at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

Team News

Fluminense head coach Renato Gaucho could name an unchanged starting XI on Saturday, following his side's positive performance against Dortmund.

Thiago Silva helped to keep things tight at the back against the Germans, allowing the likes of Jhon Arias and Agustin Canobbio to thrive further forward.

Football Odds

Kevin Serna, Lima and Paulo Baya, all of whom came on in the second half against the Bundesliga giants, are potential starters if alterations are made.

Martinelli and Nonato are walking a disciplinary tightrope following yellows against Dortmund; another on Saturday would rule them out of their third group game against Mamelodi Sundowns next week.

Ulsan centre-back Seo Myung-Guan suffered a left leg injury in the second half on Tuesday, coming off in the 80th minute. The 22-year-old has missed two straight days of training since and is a major doubt for Saturday's game, so Kang Sang-woo could replace him in the starting XI against Fluminense.

Matias Lacava had a positive impact off the bench earlier in the week, shooting three times, directing one of his efforts on target, and the Venezuelan could earn a promotion here.

Swedish midfielder Darijan Bojanic is Ulsan's only player at risk of a one-match ban following his booking against the Sundowns.

Fluminense vs Ulsan HD Odds

Fluminense are big favourites to win in East Rutherford, with odds of 3/10 implying a 76.9% probability of success, while Ulsan are 11/1, or an 8.3% chance, to get on the board with all three points.

The draw is priced at 9/2, both teams to score at 5/4, and over 2.5 total goals at 4/5.

Flu's German Cano, who made his return from nearly two months out injured on Tuesday, heads the anytime goalscorer market at 21/20 ahead of teammate Everaldo, who he replaced up top in the 70th minute against Dortmund.

Player to Receive a Card -  Kim Young-gwon (ULS) @ 4/1

If you've read any of my Fluminense-related articles, you'll know all about their Colombian winger, Jhon Arias, by now. He's a player who excels in drawing fouls from opponents, highlighted by his fouled-per-game average of 2.9 in this season's Serie A and 2.3 in the Copa Sudamericana.

Using the logic that he wins a lot of free-kicks down the right-hand side, I backed Borussia Dortmund's Ramy Bensebaini, who was playing left of a back three in their game against Flu on Tuesday, to receive a card, and boy did he deliver.

Less than a minute on the clock, and one leg of my 15/2 four-fold was in, with Bensebaini booked for taking down his opponent. Jhon Arias you little beauty.

So, let's go for it again, shall we?

On Saturday, I'm tipping Ulsan's left-sided centre-back, Kim Young-gwon, to pick up a card against Flu. The 35-year-old's numbers don't jump out quite as much as Bensebaini's did, with five yellows in all competitions last season, and just two this term.

Today's Football Fixtures

However, he gave away two free-kicks against the Sundowns on Tuesday, handballing in the 42nd minute before upending Divine Lunga in the 52nd minute. As his heat map shows, Kim spent most of his time on the left side of the pitch, sweeping up behind left wing-back Gustav Ludwigson, who is naturally a forward.

I can see Kim being left exposed by Ludwigson on Saturday, particularly if Ulsan go in search of a goal, and the South Korean may be left with no option but to take down Jhon Arias if the Flu star takes him on.

To Win to Nil - Fluminense @ 10/11

Flu have kept three consecutive clean sheets heading into Saturday's game, beating Once Caldad and Internacional 2-0 before their goalless draw with Dortmund.

The Tricolor have been a solid defensive unit all year, really, conceding just 12 goals in their first 11 Serie A matches and only two in six Copa Sudamericana group-stage games.

Their defensive cohesion was evident in Tuesday's stalemate with Dortmund as they restricted Niko Kovac's side to just seven shots, six of which came from outside the penalty box.

Ulsan, meanwhile, mustered just nine attempts against the Sundowns, and just five after the South Africans took the lead in the 36th minute.

They've not been scoring too many goals back home, either, netting just 23 times in 19 K League 1 outings this year, and I think they will struggle to break down Flu's rigid back line.

I'm not anticipating too many goals in this game, but I fancy Flu for one or two, so I'm backing the Brazilians to win to nil at just under EVS.

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