The two teams which left us without Messi and Ronaldo square off in the first quarter-final of the 2018 World Cup on Friday, 16:00 in Nizhny Novgorod.
Uruguay vs. France stats
Uruguay comes into this match with four out of four possible victories. The only other time the South Americans did the same was in the inaugural 1930 World Cup, where they played a total of four matches, therefore the fourth one was the final.
Pepe’s goal in the previous round was the first goal Fernando Muslera conceded in Russia and broke a streak of six consecutive clean sheets for the Uruguayan goalkeeper.
France finished Group C with two wins and a draw, before knocking out Argentina in the Round of 16. Kylian Mbappe was spectacular in that contest, earning a penalty and scoring twice in the 4-3 victory.
France are unbeaten in their last nine World Cup meetings with South American teams, winning five and drawing four. Their last loss was in 1978 to Argentina.
Uruguay vs. France head-to-head
France and Uruguay have a World Cup past, but not in the knockout stage. They were drawn in the same group on three occasions (1966, 2002 and 2010). Uruguay won once and the other two encounters ended in 0-0 draws. Uruguay finished ahead of France in the group every single time. Overall, they’ve faced each other six times and Les Bleus have yet to record a win. There have been four draws between the two and all of them have been goalless.
Uruguay vs. France team news
Edinson Cavani was Uruguay’s hero versus Portugal, but he had to leave the pitch in the 70th minute. Initially, the assumption was he was dealing with a muscle injury. Scans after the game revealed a swollen calf muscle with no tears. That’s both good news and bad news for Oscar Tabarez’s men. The injury is not as serious as feared, yet the striker is hurt and could very possibly miss the clash with France.
“The player remains in pain. He will continue to do individual work and rehabilitation. His evolution is being monitored,”
As far as France is concerned, Didier Deschamps won’t be able to count on Blaise Matuidi, who eamed a second yellow card and will be suspended. Djibril Sidibe and Benjamin Mendy have been battling fitness issues since the pre-tournament preparations began. Sidibe picked up a fresh knock in training, while Mendy is yet to return to practice following his World Cup debut against Denmark. Both of them are doubtful to feature on Friday.
Uruguay vs. France prediction
71-year-old Oscar Tabarez is called a master for a reason. His coaching experience is invaluable to this Uruguayan squad. He found a way to disrupt Portugal’s flow and eliminate the defending European champions. Deschamps’ France is not an attacking team, but it has two scoring machines up front who make it seem like one. Les Bleus had four shots on goal against Argentina and scored on all of them. Diego Godin and Jose Maria Gimenez will be ready for Antoine Griezmann and Kylian Mbappe. Considering Griezmann is their teammate, the two Uruguayan defenders have an advantage other national teams don’t.
Cavani’s presence will be crucial. If he’s out, Uruguay losses its edge. Luis Suarez is great, but he’s not Cavani. The PSG forward can be seen all over the pitch throughout a game and is involved in every aspect of the game for his side. If he doesn’t feature, expect Tabarez’s men to drop back further and search for opportunities exclusively on counter attacks and set pieces. Mbappe remains France’s X-factor. A moment of genius by the 19-year-old is one of the very few ways Uruguay’s defence can be broken.
