Uruguay vs Portugal FIFA World Cup 2018 – Lineups, Predictions & Stats Preview 30 June 2018

Uruguay and Portugal will face each other in the last 16 knock out games on June 30, 2018, at the Fisht Olympic Stadium in Sochi. Uruguay ended up as group winners, having garnered the maximum 9 points, while Portugal finished second to Spain after winning only one game and drawing two.

Uruguay Probable Lineups and Stats

Uruguay managed to get through the group stages without any major injuries, except for their first choice centre-back Jose Gimenez, who did not feature in the Russia game with a thigh injury. He is however expected to be back for their game against Portugal. Uruguay enjoyed a successful run in the group stages by defeating Egypt and Saudi Arabia by a solitary goal each, and ended the group stages by defeating host Russia 3-0. By not conceding a goal in the group stages, Uruguay only became the second side to do so after Argentina also emerged from the group stages in 1998 without conceding a single goal. Their success in the group stages and lack of injuries means coach Oscar Tabarez will have a full strength at his disposal in their next match. Those expected to start for the Portugal game are Muslera, Godin, Gimenez, Caceres, Torreira, Valera, Laxalt, Vecino, Bentacur, Suarez and Cavani.

Portugal Probable Lineups and Stats

As it was expected, Portugal managed to qualify from this group, but they made hard work out of it. They had a pulsating first game in which they managed a 3-3 draw against a much-fancied Spain team. However, they laboured in the 1-0 win over Morocco and earned a scrappy 1-1 draw in their final game against Iran. Portugal will be counting on their luck after Ronaldo was only shown a yellow card after he threw his arm on the face of an Iranian player, with such types of fouls earning a red card and suspension. However, the Portugal captain will be expected to lead his side in the last 16 knock out game. Those expected to start for Portugal are Rui Patricio, Pepe, Jose Fonte, Cedric Soares, Guerreiro, Ricardo Quaresma, William Carvalho, Bernardo Silva, Andre Silva, Joao Mario and Cristiano Ronaldo.

Uruguay v Portugal – Head to Head

Uruguay and Portugal have only met twice before. Portugal won the first match 3-0 in an international friendly and drew 1-1 in the next meeting. Coming into this tournament, Uruguay were ranked 14th, while Portugal were ranked 4th.

Expert Tip

Uruguay and Portugal have never faced each other in a competitive game before and what an occasion for a first duel this is. We believe Uruguay have a slight edge over Portugal and expect them to proceed to the quarterfinals of the 2018 World Cup. With every passing game, Uruguay seem to play better and better but the European Champions are no Saudi Arabia or Egypt and they will not surrender without putting up a fight. Our tip for the game is a win for Uruguay.

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