Uruguay – England

Massive game for both sides after their losses in the first round. Whoever loses this is virtually out of the World Cup, and a draw won`t do them much good either – especially for Uruguay, who is in a worse spot, having lost to Costa Rica.

I rated Uruguay pretty highly prior to the World Cup, but I`m beginning to think I was dead wrong. Of course, you can`t go around making certain judgments after one match, but it was the way the Uruguayans looked on the pitch: slow, tired, catastrophical in providing balls for the strikers. It`s not like there weren`t signals: Uruguay finished 5th in the South Americans qualifiers and often had issues winning matches, but most of us were blinded by their quality and by their results a few years ago. The squad has aged, key players have aged, Forlan can’t do it anymore, Suarez is not fit and Uruguay is starting to look more and more like Spain to me. Of course, don`t discard the South Americans just yet, but they need to vastly improve today if they are to stand any chance of qualifying.

England lost 1-2 against Italy in the first round, but their level of play was pretty good. The match is considered arguably the best in the World Cup so far and England maybe deserved a draw against an Italian side that played a flawless match. Hodgson’s side has what it lacked in the last decade: pace. With the likes of Sterling, Sturridge, Lallana and so on, England has speed, and it`s no wonder their goal against Italy came on a counterattack. On the other hand, the British still struggle to break down crowded defenses, they play chaotic at times and are inconsistent on the offensive end.

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Team news & lineups

Luis Suarez is still not fit, but considering the depserate situation of Uruguay he might be forced from the start, or at least in the second half. Pereira is suspended. England will miss Oxlade-Chamberlain.

Uruguay: Muslera – Caceres, Lugano, Godin, Pereira – Gargano, Arevalo, Rodriguez – Forlan, Suárez, Cavani.

England: Hart – Johnson, Jagielka, Cahill, Baines – Gerrard, Wilshere – Welbeck, Rooney, Sterling – Sturridge.

Uruguay is done in my opinion, and even if this England team still has its shortcomings, they should prevail in this one and gain a massive boost in their quest to qualify from the group. If the performances of the two sides in the first match are any indication, England will win this one. Expect possession to be split, but England will get the best out of Uruguay on counters and the British look much better physically as well. Luis Suarez should not have much of an impact considering his knee issue, Diego Forlan is old and Edinson Cavani is a little bit out of form, so without this trio in the best shape (and no one to provide them with good balls), I am confident the South Americans can’t cope with today`s opponents. My tip is England to win, I have high expectations from this bet and odds on the British side are going down big time right now. Prediction: Uruguay – England 0-2.

Pick: England
Odds: 2.16 @ BetRedKings
Stake: 9
Possible profit: 10.44
Event date: 19 June