Monday’s match between Inter Milan and Fluminense in the Round of 16 at the FIFA Club World Cup may not be the best advertisement for soccer.

Neither side plays a fascinating brand of football, preferring to win matches through tough defense and physical play.

There’s still star power in this match, particularly on Inter’s side, but it would be a bit of a surprise to see this one develop into a see-saw match.

That suits Fluminense just fine, as the Brazilians played two nil-nil draws in the group stage, with the other result being a 4-2 victory over South Korean outfit Ulsan FC. 

Like they did against Borussia Dortmund, you can expect Fluminense to do everything in their power to take the sting out of this match, knowing that they’re unlikely to outplay Inter in a high-event contest. 

Inter is perfectly fine with playing in the mud, but they’ll try to crack this match open, but that won’t be an easy task against this defense and in the heat at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte. 

Inter’s offensive output in this tournament – five goals and 7.2 expected goals (xG) – is among the best in the field, but they’re taking on a defense that has allowed the second-fewest xG through the group stage. 

It will be tough sledding for either offense to break through, which allows us to build a same-game parlay correlated to this being a snoozer.

Same-Game Parlay: Fluminense to advance/1H Under 0.5 goals (21/1, FanDuel)

Michael Leboff is a long-suffering Islanders fan, but a long-profiting sports bettor with 10 years of experience in the gambling industry. He loves using game theory to help punters win bracket pools, find long shots, and learn how to beat the market in mainstream and niche sports.