Pre-Game Italy vs Uruguay

Both Italy and Uruguay have their neck on the line as the losers of this fixture will join England at the bottom of the table. This match will be the most exciting one as it holds a lot of significance for both the teams. Having lost to Costa Rica on their way to this game they will now battle to determine who the best and the worst loser was. While the best loser progresses, the worst will make arrangements to fly back home. Uruguay has found its tooth (pun intended), after the arrival of Captain Luis Suarez as he solely scored the two goals that put England out of contention. The tactical Italians meanwhile will fancy their chances thanks to their eye-catching team play. All in all, this fixture will result in a lot of celebrations and disappointments.

Top players to look out for:

Luis Suarez, the tooth of Uruguayan attack (again!), will play a crucial role in front of the goal. He will be expected to work through the Italian defense to give his country the lead just like he did against England. Edinson Cavani will hope to complement his captain with his own performance. For the Azzurris, Mario ‘Super Mario’ Balotelli will shoulder the responsibility to find the back of the net which he often delivers on. If Italy have any chances of scoring any goal, Andrea Pirlo will be the root of it, hence he will be crucial despite being 35.

Teams head-to-head:

The two teams have faced each other nine times with Italy winning 3, Uruguay 2 and 4 games ending in draws.

Probable line-ups:

Italy (4-5-1): Buffon; Abate, Barzagli, Chiellini, Darmian; De Rossi, Pirlo, Verratti, Marchisio, Candreva; Balotelli.

Uruguay (4-4-2): Muslera; A Pereira, Gimenez, Godin, Caceres; M Pereira, Gargano, Rodriguez, Arevalo; Suárez, Cavani.

Prediction:

This is one of those games which you cannot predict as anything you can think of is a possibility. Uruguay with Suarez under the helm has a better advantage.

Final Score Prediction: Italy 1 – 3 Uruguay.