Uruguay vs Portugal - Two key battles ahead of their round of 16 clash
Uruguay are arguably the most mundane side from South America at the 2018 World Cup and Portugal are their equals from Europe. Despite the fact Cristiano Ronaldo, Edinson Cavani and Luis Suarez will all be on the pitch, neither side are set up to thrill. In many ways, they will cancel each other out on Saturday evening.
Portugal beat Morocco 1-0 and drew with Spain and Iran en route to the knockout phase of the 2018 World Cup. Aside from Cristiano Ronaldo, no Portuguese player has really come close to hitting their peak in Russia this summer. While Ronaldo is the ultimate big game player and will relish the role of carrying the hopes of a nation, others really need to start contributing.
Other countires realise that by stopping Ronaldo, or at least limiting his influence, you stand a great chance of overcoming Portugal. Ronaldo is one of the best players in the world, so it’s easier said than done, but at least Uruguay have two star men up front for Portugal's defenders to contend with. If Suarez is not firing on all cylinders, as has often been the case this summer, they also have Cavani.
Cristiano Ronaldo vs Diego Godin
Uruguay’s round of 16 clash with Portugal is not expected to be the most thrilling affair but there will certainly be some interesting battles to keep an eye on over the course of the match. Tasked with thwarting Ronaldo is Uruguay star Diego Godin.
The South American’s have not been overly impressive in Russia, but 32-year-old Diego Godin has been immense for La Celeste this summer. Even more will be expected of the Atletico Madrid defender if his club team-mate, Jose Gimenez, fails to overcome injury in time to feature.
Fortunately for Uruguay, Godin is one of few defenders up for the task of keeping Ronaldo at bay. It hasn’t always panned out that way in Madrid derbies, but the veteran will at least be well versed in Ronaldo’s ways and their duel won’t be short of drama.
Ronaldo has scored four times in three matches and missed a penalty. It’s already been a rollercoaster ride for the Real Madrid striker but he will relish the chance to get one over on one of the best defenders in the world. Godin has been the more consistent performer of the two over the group stage, but Ronaldo experienced the standout moment - a hat-trick against Spain.
Uruguay will hope Ronaldo’s peak has already come and gone at the 2018 World Cup, but you can certainly bet the 33-year-old feels he is only getting started this summer.
Luis Suarez vs Pepe
If theatre is expected between Ronaldo and Godin, then sparks will fly when Pepe comes face-of-face with Suarez. Both are masters of the dark arts and they will do everything in their power to deceive and get one up on each other.
Suarez turned in one of the worst 45-minute performances of the 2018 World Cup in Uruguay’s opener against Egypt, but the Barcelona striker has at least netted two goals since then, even if he is still well short of his best.
However, what makes the 31-year-old special is that even if he isn't on top of his game, he will still give defenders something to think about for 90 minutes. Due to the fact he is always on the move and constantly looking for runs in behind the defence, he is one of the hardest strikers to mark in world football.
Pepe will know all about this from his time in Spain and will be out to keep Suarez’s influence to a minimum. The 35-year-old’s theatrics in Portugal’s 1-1 draw with Iran overshadowed what was a strong showing from the veteran centre-back, concluding in the WhoScored Man of the Match award.
While neither team have performed to their capabilities at the 2018 World Cup, both have special players in attack that can turn a game at any moment. This match could well be decided by who comes out on top in these two key battles.
