For both of these teams, reaching the quarter-finals of this competition is an achievement in itself. However, with the matchup presented, both squads know that a semi-final birth is within reach. Both teams reached this stage of the tournament with huge upsets in the Round of 16 over European giants, as Fluminense took down Inter Milan and Al Hilal got past Man City.
The odds for this game are incredibly even, with Al Hilal as slight favorites. Only one team can advance to the semi-final with a date against either Chelsea or Palmeiras.
On DraftKings Sportsbook, Al Hilal are favorites on the moneyline at +155 odds. Fluminense’s moneyline is set at +180, while a draw is available at +235. Below is my favorite bet for Friday’s game.
Fluminense vs. Al Hilal Prediction, Pick
As mentioned before, this game is a toss-up. However, I am going to pick the team to advance who I think has a bit more quality and ultimately has the edge to advance.
Al Hilal pulled off arguably the biggest upset of the tournament so far, as Manchester City were the betting favorites to win the whole thing after their dominant group stage. Al Hilal put a stop to that, beating the Citizens 4-3 in extra time. Scoring four goals against a team like that is nothing short of incredible, and to consider they only had six shots on target in the full game shows the efficiency this team has up top.
This isn’t their first surprise performance of the tournament, as the Saudi side got an unlikely 1-1 draw with Real Madrid in the opening group stage match. They are undefeated in four games in this tournament, with three of those matches coming against European clubs.
The path for Fluminense has been slightly easier, but a 2-0 win against Inter Milan shows that they can also compete and beat the top clubs in the sport.
This one is close to a 50/50 for me, but I think Al Hilal have been tested more this summer and have a slight edge in terms of quality on the pitch. I expect the Saudi side to find a way to advance, whether that’s in normal time, extra time or penalties.
