Internazionale Milano (Inter Milan) is set to take on Fluminense in the FIFA Club World Cup.
We look at the best bets ahead of the knockout tie taking place at the home turf of Charlotte Football Club, the Bank of America Stadium.
Inter vs Fluminense Club World Cup best bets
Inter have used the tournament to recover from the disappointment of the UEFA Champions League disappointment that they received at the hands of Paris Saint-Germain.
New coach Christian Chivu, a stalwart for the side, has been trying to get the stoicism and the gridlock defending that the team was known for back in their play style.
Captain Lautaro Martinez, who struggled in the Champions League Final but dominated in the entire competition before that, seems fired up by Chivu. He’s hit the back of the net twice against Monterrey and Urawa Red Diamonds. He is +195 to score or assist, and +237 to open the scoring in the heat of North Carolina.
Fluminense, on the other hand, is coached by Renato Gaúcho, who was a Roma player in the late 1980s and is the only player to have won the Copa Libertadores as coach and player.
Fluzão, as they are known by fans and rivals alike, got to the World Club Cup on the back of their performance in the Copa Libertadores and have proved themselves a versatile force.
For Lautaro and company to break down the red-and-black clad Brazilians, they will have to go through one of the greatest centre-backs in modern football, forty-year-old Thiago Silva.
Silva was the crown jewel of rivals AC Milan’s defence before he went on to Paris Saint-Germain, where he picked up seven Ligue 1 trophies, and latterly Chelsea, where he held aloft the Champions League in 2020/21.
Fluminense is a less than generous +170 to keep the game goalless; however, the defensive tower could be an injury doubt, as Silva was replaced by Ignacio in the previous match and slotted in well.
Inter are the favourites with +177 to progress, a draw is a very favourable +375, and Brazilians are +550 to cause an upset.
Featured Image: Inter Milan official.
