Flamengo-Al Hilal is a Club World Cup semi-final and is scheduled for Tuesday at 20:00: odds, predictions, live TV and streaming.
It is semi-final time in the 2022 Club World Cup, the most eagerly awaited moment in the competition when the champions of Europe and South America come into play. This year, it is up to the Saudis of Al-Hilal and the Egyptians of Al-Ahly to try and put a spoke in the wheels of the heavy favourites Real Madrid and Flamengo, the main suspects to clash in the final in Rabat. But before we delve into the prediction, a mention of the event is in order.
First of all, this edition, the nineteenth, was supposed to be held last December but was postponed due to the World Cup in Qatar. The host country is Morocco with two match venues, Tangier and the capital Rabat. This will be one of the last editions with the format we have come to know for more than a decade now. In 2025 there will be a revolution, as announced some time ago by Fifa president Gianni Infantino: the Club World Cup will be played once every four years as for national teams and will involve more than thirty teams. Returning to the present, however, the last Copa Libertadores champion Flamengo will attempt to achieve that feat that vanished in 2019 in the final against Liverpool, lost in extra time. Even then, in the semifinals, the Brazilians faced the Saudis of Al-Hilal, another club from Riyadh (and rival of Al-Nassr, which recently made headlines for signing Cristiano Ronaldo).
How many former Serie A players in Flamengo
Coached by Argentine Ramon Diaz – former Inter, Napoli, Fiorentina and Avellino as a footballer – the Saudis won the Asian Champions League last year, but are currently fourth in the league, forced to chase CR7’s team.
An Al-Hilal formation
In the previous round, already coming off a crushing defeat in the Arab Super Cup against Al-Fayha, they barely beat the hosts Wydad Casablanca, who were only eliminated after penalty kicks. Flamengo also landed in Morocco with a long face due to their disappointment in the Brazilian Super Cup against Palmeiras, who prevailed 4-3. The team led by Portugal’s Vitor Pereira, for the third time champions of South America, quickly made up for it in the Carioca championship, beating Boavista 1-0. In attack, the team still relies on the play of Gabigol, a mystery object during his time at Inter, as well as former Fiorentina player Pedro and old acquaintances of Italian football such as Vidal, Pulgar and Gerson. In Al-Hilal, on the other hand, we find Al-Dawsari, the protagonist of Saudi Arabia’s historic victory at the last World Cup against Argentina, but the Rossoneri defence will also have to watch out for former Porto player Marega.
The Prediction
Flamengo are not the brilliant team they were a few months ago, but they are superior in quality and experience to the Saudis and should reach the final. They are both likely to score in a match of at least three goals combined.
Flamengo-Al Hilal’s likely line-up
- FLAMENGO (4-3-1-2): Santos; Filipe Luis, Pereira, David Luiz, Varela; Gerson, Maia, Ribeiro; De Arrascaeta; Henrique, Gabriel Barbosa.
- AL HILAL (4-3-3): Al-Mayouf; N. Al-Dawsari, Al-Bulaihi, Jang, Abdulhamid; S. Al-Dawsari, Cuellar, Vietto; Carrillo, Ighalo, Marega.
POSSIBLE RESULT: 3-1
