Having only featured at FIFA’s flagship international club tournament on one previous occasion, Fluminense will be relishing the prospect of going toe-to-toe with a handful of the world’s best teams.
The Rio de Janeiro outfit qualified for the newly expanded Club World Cup by virtue of securing the 2023 Copa Libertadores, their first piece of continental silverware. John Kennedy’s extra-time winner ensured they overcame Argentinian giants Boca Juniors in the final, which was staged at Fluminense’s Maracanã home. Less than four months after celebrating this historic victory on home soil, the ‘Fluzão’ lifted the Recopa Sudamericana after defeating Ecuadorian outfit LDU Quito over two legs.
Fluminense’s maiden Copa Libertadores triumph also handed them a ticket to the last Club World Cup, which was staged in Saudi Arabia in December 2023. After claiming a 2-0 victory over hosts Al Ahly, the Brazilians returned to the King Abdullah Sports City Stadium to face 2023 Champions League winners Manchester City in the showpiece. The outcome was rather different on this occasion, as Fluminense shipped four goals to their English opponents on a disappointing night in Jeddah.
Despite being widely regarded as one of Europe’s elite sides, Borussia Dortmund have never competed at a Club World Cup. However, had the competition been established three years earlier, Dortmund would have qualified following the acquisition of their first-ever Champions League crown in 1997. Instead, Die Schwarzgelben met Cruzeiro in the Intercontinental Cup, an annual one-off fixture between the previous season’s best European and South American teams. Dortmund won the tie in Tokyo 2-0, seven years before the pan-continental clash was permanently abolished.
Having performed consistently well in Europe’s most prestigious competition over the past four years, the Germans collected enough coefficient points to advance to this summer’s Club World Cup as UEFA’s third-ranked eligible team.
Ahead of Tuesday’s intriguing contest in New Jersey, Flashscore writer Ryan Murray attempts to find the best value bets by analysing bet365’s wide-ranging odds markets.
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Fluminense v Borussia Dortmund, Tuesday, June 17th, 17:00 BST
Fluminense v Borussia Dortmund tips
Borussia Dortmund to win and BTTS: 11/5 (bet365)
Serhou Guirassy to have over 2.5 shots on target: 11/4 (bet365)
Odds courtesy of bet365. Correct at the time of publication and subject to change.
Dortmund’s class should eventually shine through
Neither of Tuesday’s opponents have been in particularly strong form of late, with both teams struggling to find consistency in their respective domestic environments. By the time Dortmund and Fluminense arrive at the MetLife Stadium on Tuesday afternoon, it’ll have been exactly a month since the final day of the Bundesliga season. Conversely, the 2025 Série A is in full swing following its March launch. Therefore, match fitness could play a key role….
Fluminense find themselves languishing in sixth position in the Brazilian top-flight, a substantial four points off fellow Club World Cup participants Flamengo (and joint leaders Cruzeiro) at the summit of the table. Nevertheless, after narrowly losing to Atlético Mineiro in early May, Renato Gaúcho’s men are unbeaten in six matches across all competitions. Furthermore, they progressed straight through to the last sixteen of the Copa Sudamericana, having topped a group consisting of Bolivian outfit GV San José, seven-time Chilean champions Unión Española, and 2004 Copa Libertadores winners Once Caldas.
Although their fortunes improved dramatically following the appointment of former Bayern Munich midfielder Niko Kovač as Head Coach, Borussia Dortmund endured an underwhelming 2024/25 campaign. A run of seven victories in their last eight Bundesliga contests ensured the North Rhine-Westphalians clinched Champions League qualification for the tenth consecutive season, but it remains to be seen whether this sequence of results merely served to paper over the cracks.
After concluding the 2023/24 season as Champions League runners-up, Dortmund were punted out of the same competition at the quarter-final stage by Barcelona earlier this year. Despite recording an impressive 3-1 triumph at the Signal Iduna Park, Die Schwarzgelben failed to recover a four-goal first-leg deficit. As the hammering in Catalonia occurred under Kovač’s watch, the jury may still be out on the Croatian.
Regardless of their recent woes, Dortmund should have more than enough to power past Fluminense on Tuesday afternoon. Nevertheless, this contest might be a little tighter than the odds markets suggest.
Betting tip: Borussia Dortmund to win and BTTS: 11/5 (bet365)
Explanation: This bet will win if Borussia Dortmund triumph and both teams score.
The Guinean goal machine
Although Dortmund may have under-achieved last term, the same cannot be said of free-scoring striker Serhou Guirassy. The French-born Guinean international registered 21 goals in his 30 Bundesliga appearances, a record only bettered by Bayern Munich talisman Harry Kane.
Despite his remarkable domestic exploits, Guirassy arguably reserved his best form for the continental stage. At the conclusion of the 2024/25 Champions League campaign, the predatory marksman was awarded the Golden Boot (sharing this accolade with Brazilian forward Raphinha) after netting 13 times in just 14 outings. He scored more than once in a single fixture on four separate occasions, bagging three braces during the league phase before claiming a perfect hat-trick in Dortmund’s quarter-final second-leg meeting with Barcelona.
Guirassy fired a staggering 90 efforts at goal throughout the course of the Bundesliga season, while 24 of his 40 shots in the Champions League hit the target – a 60% conversion rate. Therefore, expect the 29-year-old to put Fluminense number one Fábio under some serious pressure…..
Betting tip: Serhou Guirassy to have over 2.5 shots on target: 11/4 (bet365)
Explanation: This bet will win if Serhou Guirassy hits three or more shots on target.
Fluminense v Borussia Dortmund odds
The odds, correct at the time of publication, are subject to change.
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The odds, correct at the time of publication, are subject to change.