For a country of just 3.5 million people, Uruguay has had some outsized success at the World Cup. Uruguay won the first World Cup back in 1930 and became the first country to win two World Cups with its second title in 1950. They have continued to impress over the years, grabbing fourth place in 2010, and are looking to make their sixth trip to the semifinals this year. However, France is standing in their way. Les Bleus are considered one of the favorites to win it all after an impressive win over Argentina and are odds-on favorites ahead of this match.
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 Nizhny Novgorod Stadium in Nizhny Novgorod at 10 a.m. ET on Friday, July 6, 2018. Catch every moment of the match live on FS1.
World Cup Quarterfinals Betting Odds at BookMaker.eu
Uruguay +363
France -105
Draw +221
Over/Under 2
Recent Form
The French have been one of the most impressive teams at the World Cup. They easily topped Group C by beating Australia and Peru and drawing with Denmark. There were a couple times that they looked a little shaky, but the defense was strong and held the line in order to give them what should have been a favorable draw with the Group D runner-up.
Instead, France had to play Argentina in their first match of the knockout rounds after the latter country stumbled its way through the Group Stage. The French got on the board first after a beautiful run by Kylian Mbappe set up an Antoine Griezmann penalty kick, but Argentina was able to score right before the half and again right after the half in order to take the lead. Benjamin Pavard equalized with what might end up being the goal of the tournament, before Mbappe left a lasting impression with goals in the 64th and 68th to put Argentina away.
Uruguay just keeps winning. The country was drawn into a very manageable group and made the most of it by sweeping the slate in the Group Stage. It wasn’t always easy, but they did get wins over Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Russia to earn the top spot in Group A.
That set Uruguay up with a match against Portugal in the Round of 16. They were very slight favorites to win the game according to the oddsmakers beforehand, but they are one of two countries to win all four of their matches in regulation at this point. Edinson Cavani was the Man of the Match with both of Uruguay’s goals in a 2-1 win.
Player to Watch
Mbappe is one of the most incredible players we have seen in quite some time. He might be just a teenager, but he is already making a name for himself on the international stage. His play against Argentina won him new fans and admirers from around the world, and he showed off the skillset that lead many to call him the leader of the next generation of football players.
At this level, you should not be able to just run around defenders with ease. Yet, that’s what Mbappe continues to do. His top end speed is cartoonish, and when you match that with incredible power behind the ball, he is absolutely terrifying in transition. Uruguay cannot let him get the ball with plenty of green ahead of him.
Key Injury
Cavani has been Uruguay’s star player at the World Cup. Much of the attention went to Luis Suarez prior to the start of the tournament, but it has been Cavani that has been the better of Uruguay’s two forwards. He was solid throughout the Group Stage and put the team on his back in the win over Paraguay with an inspiring performance.
Unfortunately for Uruguay, it looks like Cavani will not be able to start against France. He suffered a lower leg injury in the second half of the win over Portugal, and he has not been able to practice over the last few days. Not having him would deal a huge blow to Uruguay’s chances to pull off the upset.
Free Soccer Betting Pick
Without Cavani, Uruguay will lack the counterattacking punch they had against Portugal. France will press and eventually overwhelm Uruguay’s solid back line with another good performance from Mbappe.
World Cup Quarterfinals Odds: France 2, Uruguay 1
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