Portugal will look to secure a place in the round of 16 of the FIFA World Cup with a win as they take on Uruguay in the Group H fixture at Lushail Stadium on Monday. However, memories of the 2018 World Cup, when they were knocked out by Uruguay in the round of 16, will loom large on the Cristiano Ronaldo-led side.
Uruguay are not an easy team to beat with players like Luis Suarez, Edinson Cavani, Federico Valverde and Rodrigo Bentancur leading the line. With a draw against the Republic of Korea in the opening fixture, losing today will make elimination imminent for them.
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Portugal, on the hand, won against Ghana in their first match of the World Cup and are in a better position to reach the next stage.
Portugal vs Uruguay: Head-to-head
* Portugal and Uruguay played each other for the first time in a friendly match on June 26, 1966
* They met at a World Cup for the first time in 2018 where two Edinson Cavani goals saw Uruguay reach the quarter-finals
* Out of their three meetings, both teams have won one match each while the third one ended in a draw
* Uruguay are ranked 14 in the FIFA rankings while Portugal are slightly better at nine
Portugal vs Uruguay: Stats
* Portugal has scored a total of five goals against the two-time World Cup winners Uruguay
* Uruguay, on the other hand, has scored only three goals against Portugal
* The biggest margin between the two teams was at a friendly on June 26, 1966, that Portugal won 3-0
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Portugal vs Uruguay: Predicted lineups, formations
Portugal predicted lineup:
Costa (GK) | Cancelo, Dias, Pepe, Guerreiro (back four)| Bernardo, Neves, Carvalho (midfield three)| Fernandes, Ronaldo, Felix (front 3)
Formation: 4-3-3 or 4-2-3-1
Uruguay predicted lineup:
Pochet (GK) | Caceres, Godin, Gimenez, Olivera (back four); Valverde, Bentancur, Vecino, Pellistri (midfield four) | Suarez, Nunez (front two)
Formation: 4-4-2 or 4-2-3-2