The equation is clear-cut Uruguay need nothing less than a win while Italy can zip past the group stage if they hold on to just a draw, thanks to their superior goal difference. In their last match Uruguay showed England the exit door with a 2-1 win, while Italy went down 0-1 against Costa Rica and that had both teams leveled at three points to setup a classic battle for the place in last 16.
History favours Uruguay:
Oscar Tabarez’s side pack an extra punch when it comes to their overall meeting with the Azzurris. Uruguay have won four out of previous nine encounters between the two sides while Italy have managed to win just two and four games have resulted in draws. The stats here do favour Uruguay but Italy will be looking to shun it, pass the ball and net the goal.
Italy has the momentum:
The South American champions Uruguay and European giant Italy last met only a year before in Confederations Cup for the third place play-off. At full time the scores were levelled at 2-2 and Italy then went on to win by 3-2 on penalty kicks. Will this be on Uruguay’s back of mind? Uruguayan striker Edinson Cavani scoring two goals for his side while Davide Astori and Alessandro Diamanti were two scorers for Italy, both these players are not part of Italy’s World Cup squad as they were overlooked.
At World Cup Italy holds edge:
At the mega event these two teams have met twice and Uruguay have failed to score against Italy on both the occasions. The Azzurri won the game 2-0 in 1990 event while 1970 fixture resulted in a draw. Now Italy has some part of history favouring them.
Star vs Star:
Star striker Luis Suarez was instrumental in Uruguay’s outclass performance against England as his two goals made all the difference. Nursing an injury Suarez proved why he was missed by his side. Giorgio Chiellini in Italian ranks is one of the most difficult defenders to pass through and is known commodity when it comes to make things tough for opposing strikers. Chiellini vs Suarez clash could be the defining moment of the game and both will aim to outplay each other.
So, get set as yet another riveting clash kicks off and the one who backs down first, will be the first to catch flight back home.
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