Game 2 of the knockout rounds of the 2018 World Cup Between Uruguay and Portugal takes place Saturday June 30th at 12:00 Eastern time in Fisht Stadium. According to our World Cup Betting odds, this is a tremendously even matchup, so it should make for a good game. While it is easy to see this game through the lens of Cristiano Ronaldo versus Luis Suarez, the truth is that there are a lot more interesting dynamics to this matchup. As for match history, these two teams have never faced each other before in international competition.
Uruguay
So far, Uruguay have proven to be one of the best teams so far in this tournament, winning all three of their games and not conceding a single goal. That success comes with a caveat that some considered this group to be the easiest group in World Cup History. Still, Uruguay has shown no kinks in its armor, fending off the weaker Saudi Arabia and Egypt before stonewalling the much-talked-about Russian offense that had scored 8 goals prior to getting shut out by Uruguay. Now they must face some very real competition in Portugal, who had a much harder group with 2010 World Cup Champion Spain as a rival and should theoretically be more battle-tested. Uruguay should not have to change any of its tactics or lineup going into this game, but they will have to concentrate and focus a little bit harder as the tournament gets real from this point on. Defenseman Jose Maria Gimenez sat out the last game with an injury, and it is not 100% clear if he will return for this game or not. Other than that, Uruguay's lineup should stay the same.
Portugal
After the first two games of the Group Stage, Cristiano Ronaldo was the talk of the tournament. Everyone praised his superb, 4-goal effort against Spain and Morocco and there was even talk about the Golden Boot being a lock for the Real Madrid superstar after only having played a fraction of the tournament. In Portugal's third game against Iran, a 1-1 tie, that talk dampened a little bit as other players started garnering attention, but Ronaldo is still here and as dangerous as ever. Throw in that Portugal won the 2016 European championship, toppling the best that the old country has to offer, and you realize that Portugal is still one of the better teams in the whole World Cup field. They will not have easy passage the rest of the way through this tournament, and this game versus Uruguay is a good way to test their mettle for the later rounds.
Match Overview
There are several striking similarities between these two teams, and that is part of what is going to make this a fascinating match to watch. Both teams feature controversial superstars in Ronaldo and Suarez, both teams play a conservative style that focuses on defense and low-risk play, and both teams have old, battle-tested coaches. Portugal Manager Fernando Santos of Portugal is 63 and was at the helm with Portugal won the 2016 Euro tournament, and Uruguay Manager Oscar Tabarez is 71 and has a 2011 Copa America title to his name, as well as the distinction of leading the 2010 Uruguayan team to a 4th place finish at the World Cup. With the odds for this match staggeringly even, calling a favorite in this game is truly a coin toss. It won't likely be a high-scoring, exciting affair, but this game will appeal to the soccer nerds out there that value strategy and tactics above chaotic gameplay.
