⚡Inter-Flu: storm threat to last 16, Esposito out 🚑 Thuram back | OneFootball

The Club World Cup could turn into a thriller for Chivu's Inter. Tomorrow in Charlotte, the Nerazzurri will face Fluminense, but it won't just be the Brazilians who will be feared: the weather forecast predicts scorching heat and a risk of lightning during the match.

A situation that already blocked Chelsea-Benfica last night, with a two-hour stop and a match that lasted almost five hours due to the tie at 90' and extra time.

Moreover, Chivu loses Pio Esposito, out due to injury, while Marcus Thuram returns after weeks on the sidelines.

⚡ Storm incoming: the threat of lightning

Charlotte doesn't joke around: with a lightning strike within 12.7 km, the game is immediately stopped. The field is evacuated, the match is suspended, and the public is taken to safety. It already happened with Chelsea-Benfica, which was stopped and then resumed after hours of waiting.

The forecasts for the Inter-Fluminense schedule don't promise anything good, with the risk of a downpour that could unnerve players and fans.

🥵 Extreme heat: the other opponent

35 degrees, suffocating humidity, and local authorities inviting the population not to go out between 12 and 16.

It's exactly during that time slot that Barella and company will take the field, already tested by a very tight schedule.

Chivu moved the training session to the late afternoon to avoid the morning "furnace", but the match will still be played at the worst time.

🤕 Out Pio Esposito, Thuram returns

Pio Esposito's talent, a star of the Under 20 team, would have been extremely valuable against Fluminense. But a muscle problem stops him. So, it will be up to Marcus Thuram, who has just returned after an injury, to lead the Nerazzurri attack.

Eyes are also on Valentin Carboni, an offensive playmaker with flair and courage, who will have to invent and create spaces for the strikers.

🇧🇷 Fluminense: experience and green-gold talent

Fluminense is not afraid of direct elimination challenges: in the squad, they boast veterans like Felipe Melo, ex-Juve and Inter, who at 41 years old is still a leader in personality and physicality.

In attack, keep an eye on Germán Cano, an Argentine bomber capable of deciding games with just one playable ball. In short, a tough opponent for Bisseck and Bastoni, who will be called to a perfect game in the back.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇮🇹 here.

📸 PABLO PORCIUNCULA - AFP or licensors