Some of Fluminense's main stars, such as goalkeeper Fabio, defender Thiago Silva, right-back Samuel Xavier, midfielder Paulo Henrique Ganso and striker Cano, are a combined 191 years old, with Fabio leading the way as the oldest player in the Club World Cup at 44.
On the other side, Borussia Dortmund are presenting their potential star candidates to the world, perhaps in a short space of time. Among them is young American winger Mathis Albert, who is an incredible 16-year-old. He is the second youngest player at the FIFA Club World Cup, behind Urawa Red Diamonds midfielder Takeshi Wada, who turned 16 a few days before the tournament.
"We know we're going to face a lot of difficulties. Borussia are a young team, with a lot of dynamics, a lot of speed, but it's up to us to put the brakes on their positive points and take advantage of the negative ones they have," said Samuel Xavier on the eve of this clash of generations at the MetLife Stadium.
Former Brazilian's son among youngsters to watch
As well as Albert, Dortmund are travelling to the Club World Cup with other youngsters who deserve a closer look. Italian attacking midfielder Samuele Inacio, just 17, even has Brazilian DNA in his blood.
He is the son of former Italian-Brazilian player Joao Batista Inacio Pia, who played for Napoli and Atalanta, the team where he began his youth career, arriving at the age of 14 from the city of Ibitinga, in the interior of Sao Paulo.
Like his father, Inacio also took his first steps in football at Atalanta and was later acquired by Dortmund.
Another promising player on the German side is 19-year-old American Cole Campbell. He made his professional debut in Iceland at just 15 years old. Cole Campbell featured on six occasions in the last European season for BVB.
Cole Campbell has already been involved on six occasions this seasonJURGEN FROMME / firo Sportphoto / dpa Picture-Alliance via AFP
Jobe wants to follow in his brother's footsteps
At the age of 19, Jobe Bellingham, brother of Real Madrid and England star Jude, is the player to watch at the moment. He's even tipped to start this afternoon at the MetLife, which would be his debut for the Reds.
Jobe was acquired from Sunderland for 30.5 million euros, and his contract with the German club runs until 2030. His numbers were somewhat modest at Sunderland, netting 11 times in 90 games played.
Jobe Bellingham could start against FluminenseBERND THISSEN / DPA / dpa Picture-Alliance via AFP
But the expectation is that he will follow the successful path of a number of promising youngsters who have come through Borussia, including his own brother.
Borussia's reputation as a training club precedes itself, with some of its biggest sales in recent years having taken place between the ages of 19 and 22. The list is long, from Ousmane Dembele to Erling Haaland.
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"It's 11 against 11"
The very tricky Borussia Dortmund will be a big challenge for Fluminense. But midfielder Nonato is certain that when the ball rolls, both sides will be equal. The Tricolour can never be intimidated.
"We're not blind enough to deny that (Borussia's quality). But, as I said, when the ball rolls, it's 11 against 11, we know our worth, we know what we've been training for, what we've been working on, I think that gives us the confidence we need to play a great game. We have to impose ourselves, regardless of who's on the other side. I think this could be the way to get a win," he concluded.
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