Uruguay has to be excited about its match with Saudi Arabia on Wednesday. Following Saudi Arabia’s lackluster display in its opener against Russia, Uruguay fully expects to grab three points and a comfortable win. If they can pick up a win against Egypt on Friday and couple that with a win in this match, Uruguay could very well be the first team to qualify for the Round of 16. However, crazier things have happened at the World Cup, and Saudi Arabia is looking to pull off what would be a monumental stunner with a result of any sort.
The most anticipated sporting event in the world comes around once every four years, so don’t miss any of the 2018 World Cup. This match will take place at Rostov Arena in Rostov-on-Don at 11 a.m. ET on Wednesday, June 20, 2018. Catch every moment of the match live on FOX.
World Cup Group Stage Betting Odds at BookMaker.eu
Saudi Arabia +1900
Uruguay -700
Draw +750
Over/Under 3 and 3.5
Recent Form
Uruguay won’t take the pitch for its first match until Friday, but the country is a decent favorite to pick up a win over Egypt with the questions surrounding Mo Salah’s health.
As for Saudi Arabia, it’s hard to find a bright spot after the team was demolished 5-0 by Russia in the opener. The Green Falcons were listless on offense, failing to register a single shot on goal despite having the lion’s share of possession. More was expected from Mohammad Al-Sahlawi with 28 goals in 41 international caps, and he was unable to get a single decent chance.
The team’s performance on defense was even worse. Much worse in fact. The smallish back line had loads of trouble stopping Russia through the air. Two of Russia’s goals came off of crosses where forwards were able to outmuscle opponents to get clean headers within eight yards of goal. Russia’s second goal left egg on the faces of multiple members as a simple move sent two defenders sprawling to the turf, giving Denis Cheryshev a relatively easy opportunity to score.
Saudi Arabia’s trouble was compounded in injury time when half-hearted defending and goalkeeping allowed two more across the line. They are now in a hole that they are extremely unlikely to dig themselves out of in the next two games.
Betting Angle
Given their dreadful performance in the opener, Saudi Arabia’s main motive for the rest of the World Cup may be to mitigate the potential for further embarrassment. With their goal differential shot and a tough match-up here, manager Juan Antonio Pizzi may look to park the bus rather than play a more fluid game in the hope of getting Saudi Arabia the victory it needs in order to give itself a chance.
It seems very likely that Saudi Arabia will play with 10 men behind the ball in this one and hope that Al-Sahlawi can create magic when they have the opportunity to counterattack.
Matchup to Watch
Luis Suarez and Edinson Cavani constitute one of the best forward tandems in the world. The duo is very experienced, with Suarez likely making his 100th appearance in this one and Cavani already having more than 100 caps. That has given them plenty of time to build up chemistry.
They are also very talented. While both players are on the downswing of their careers, teams still think enough of them that they each play on one of the top clubs in the world. Suarez and Cavani have to be champing at the bit to take on this back line.
Free Soccer Betting Pick
Uruguay is a massive favorite to win this match, making it hard to bet a side on either the goal line or three-way line here. The under is a good play though considering Saudi Arabia’s likely tactics.
World Cup Group Stage Odds: Uruguay 2, Saudi Arabia 0
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