Uruguay
Cape Verde
Uruguay go into Sunday's clash at Miami Stadium top of Group H on the back of a 1-1 draw with Saudi Arabia, but it's Cape Verde — World Cup debutants — who arrive with the romance, having held Spain to a goalless draw in one of the great shocks of the competition so far. Marcelo Bielsa will know that complacency here would be unforgivable, while Cape Verde will be dreaming of an even bigger statement against another South American giant.
Uruguay — La Celeste
The 4-4-2 simply didn't work against Saudi Arabia, and Bielsa tore it up at half-time. Darwin Nunez and Mathias Vina both had poor afternoons and look set to make way, while Martin Araujo, Sebastian Vinas and Federico Valverde all did enough to be retained. De La Cruz and Rodriguez made a real impact off the bench, though the expectation is they continue in that supersub role rather than starting outright.
The training ground updates through the week have been telling. Sanabria and Canobbio were back working with the first-choice group by Thursday, with Canobbio now predicted ahead of Nunez entirely. Manuel Ugarte missed a session with De La Cruz deputising in his place — and after the impact De La Cruz made against Saudi Arabia, that's far from a downgrade. Olivera also sat out one session, though there's no suggestion of an injury, and Jose Gimenez remains out of training altogether. Ronald Araujo and Guillermo de Amores are both already ruled out. By all accounts, Bielsa has settled on his eleven for this one.
Cape Verde — Tubaroes Azuis
Vozinha is the name on everyone's lips after his heroics against Spain — a genuinely outstanding defensive performance from the whole side, and the expectation is minimal changes given how well it worked. The one fitness note is Jovane Cabral, who picked up a muscular issue just after the hour mark against Spain, though it isn't considered serious enough to be a concern here.
Predicted Lineups
Key Battle
Vozinha vs Uruguay's front line. Cape Verde's entire game plan against Spain rested on their goalkeeper producing a near-perfect afternoon, and there's no reason to expect a different approach here. If Vozinha can repeat anything close to that level, a Uruguay attack that has looked blunt in recent outings may find this just as frustrating as Spain did. If he can't, the gulf in attacking quality should tell quickly.
Prediction
Uruguay are the heavy favourites on paper, and Opta backs that up with a 78.08% chance of reaching the last 32 against Cape Verde's 45.94% — but this Uruguay side have scored one goal or fewer in seven of their last eight matches, and Vozinha has already proven he can shut out a considerably better attack than this one looked against Saudi Arabia. Expect Cape Verde to make this uncomfortable for long spells, but Uruguay's class and the fresher legs of De La Cruz and Canobbio should eventually find a way through.
Uruguay 2–0 Cape Verde — Valverde, Vinas
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