Underdogs Ulsan HD facing Brazilian powerhouse Fluminense at Club World Cup

After losing what they regarded as a winnable match to begin the FIFA Club World Cup, Ulsan HD FC will now face a tougher task — the Brazilian powerhouse Fluminense FC.

The second Group F match between Ulsan HD and Fluminense will kick off at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, at 6 p.m. Saturday (local time), or 7 a.m. Sunday in South Korea.

Ulsan HD lost to Mamelodi Sundowns FC 1-0 in their tournament opener Tuesday. Earlier that same day, Fluminense played the German side Borussia Dortmund to a goalless draw after outshooting them and winning the possession battle.

At the expanded, 32-team Club World Cup, the top two teams from each of the eight groups will advance to the knockout stage. Fluminense and Dortmund are expected to grab those two spots out of Group F, and another loss will knock Ulsan out of knockout contention before they close out the group stage against Dortmund next week.

Ulsan won the past three titles in the K League 1, the top South Korean competition. Fluminense qualified for the Club World Cup after winning the 2023 Copa Libertadores, the top South American club tournament.

Thiago Silva, the 40-year-old former captain of the Brazilian national team, will man the defense that shut down Dortmund this week in front of goalkeeper Fabio, another 40-year-old.

Against Sundowns, Ulsan head coach Kim Pan-gon opted for a back-three formation, with three center backs flanked by two speedy wingers: Um Won-sang and Gustav Ludwigson. The goal was to outnumber opposing attackers in the defensive zone and rely on Um and Ludwigson to create chances with their speed on counterattacks.

Ulsan had some promising moments early but gave up the lone goal of the match due to a defensive lapse in the middle.

One of Ulsan’s starting center backs in that match, Seo Myung-guan, suffered a left leg injury in the second half and has missed two straight days of training since.

Kim has conceded Ulsan can’t match Fluminense in individual talent. Erick Farias, who had a cup of coffee in the top Brazilian league last year with Juventude before joining Ulsan this spring, is considered the K League 1 club’s most skilled player, and Kim said last week that Fluminense have “26 Ericks” on their squad.

Erick, as he’s commonly known, recalled that he faced Fluminense a handful of times last year and predicted that Ulsan will be in for a difficult match.

“Thiago Silva is clearly a legend, and they have other great players,” Erick said in a statement released by Ulsan on Friday. “But we have some quality players at Ulsan too. We have to take every match like it’s the final of the tournament. If we stay locked in, then you never know what’s going to happen. We must do our best to demonstrate the competitiveness and quality of Korean football and Ulsan.”