A week of first impressions continues at the World Cup, the opening round of matches poised to answer questions about how good the 48 teams who have made their way to North America actually are. The answers have been easier to predict for some teams rather than others but when Uruguay hit the pitch in the Miami area on Monday to face Saudi Arabia, they will do so with what might be the unrealistic weight of expectations.
Uruguay have enjoyed a batch of very notable moments on the world’s biggest stage, most recent among them a run to the semifinals in South Africa in 2010 – off the back of Luis Suarez‘s infamous handball on the goalline. Their golden generation came through with two more knockout runs in Brazil and Russia but those days are behind them – Suarez is out of the national team picture and so is Edinson Cavani. Their aspirations remain understandably high but the group stage exit in Qatar only underscores questions about how far they can actually go now that a generation of iconic talents are gone?
The good news is that for Uruguay, at least temporarily, their World Cup seems likely to get off to a favorable start. They may not be favored in their group stage finale against Spain but match-ups against Saudi Arabia and Cabo Verde see them enter as the favorites, though it is a label they will need to live up to.
Real Madrid‘s Federico Valverde will be the standout in the center of the park but there are some frailties amongst the group; chief among them is the fact that it is unclear where the goals will come from. Former Liverpool forward Darwin Nunez is the headliner of their attack but he scored just nine goals for Saudi side Al-Hilal last season, doing so after a stretch with the Reds in which he scored double-digit goals for two of his three campaigns in England. As a team, Uruguay have only scored four in their last seven games and have not enjoyed a multi-goal game since September. They might like their chances against a Saudi Arabia side with just one clean sheet in their last 11 games but that only reinforces the fact that the onus is on Uruguay to score.
A unique stumbling block lies in front of them for their World Cup opener, though. The plane that was supposed to take them from Playa del Carmen, Mexico, where they will be based for the tournament, to the Miami area was not reportedly authorized to enter the U.S., forcing Uruguay to leave on a later flight. They will now only arrive to their destination roughly 24 hours before kickoff, something the Uruguayan Football Association blamed on FIFA.
“Due to problems beyond the control of the AUF, the departure from Mexico has been delayed,” the federation wrote in a statement on Sunday. “The squad is resting at the hotel. The new departure time set by FIFA is 4:15 p.m.”
How to watch Saudi Arabia vs. Uruguay
Date: Monday, June 15 | Time: 6 p.m. ET
Location: Hard Rock Stadium — Miami Gardens, Florida
TV: FS1 (Eng), Telemundo (Spa) | Live stream: Fubo (Try for free)
Odds: Saudi Arabia +650; Draw +340; Uruguay -215
Saudi Arabia vs. Uruguay predicted starting lineups
Saudi Arabia: Mohammed Al-Owais, Saud Abdulhamid, Hassan Al-Tambakti, Abdulelah Al-Amri, Moteb Al-Harbi, Abdullah Al-Khaibari, Mohamed Kanno, Musab Al-Juwayr, Sultan Mandash, Firas Al-Buraikan, Salem Al-Dawsari
Uruguay: Sergio Rochet, Guillermo Varela, Sebastian Caceres, Mathias Olivera, Matias Vina, Federico Valverde, Manuel Ugarte, Rodrigo Bentancur, Agustin Canobbio, Darwin Nunez, Maximiliano Araujo.
Check out our World Cup expert predictions.
Saudi Arabia vs. Uruguay pick, prediction
Expect Uruguay to assume control of this game fairly early but they may not do much with their advantages considering their goalscoring woes. The result itself probably will not get in the way of Uruguay’s hopes of returning to the knockouts, but the performance may indicate signs of an earlier-than-desired exit. Pick: Saudi Arabia 0, Uruguay 1
Golazo 48 Nations: Follow the World Cup all summer long
Golazo 48 Nations is your all-access destination for the World Cup, with wall-to-wall coverage across the CBS Sports Golazo Network. From the first whistle to the final recap, the entire Golazo crew will guide fans through every moment of the tournament.
Each day begins with Morning Footy, setting the stage with the newest news, storylines, and previews ahead of kickoff. From there, Golazo Matchday and Golazo Matchnight deliver reaction and analysis as the action unfolds. Fans can also tune in for coverage of USMNT matches with the Call It What You Want team, as well as reaction to other marquee matchups.
The day wraps with Scoreline, a comprehensive nightly recap of every result, moment, and storyline from across the tournament. Altogether, the Golazo Network will deliver up to 12 hours of programming each matchday, available across the Golazo Network and its YouTube channel.
