Portugal vs Uruguay Predictions

• Uruguay have won four of their last five World Cup clashes with European sides, including a win over Portugal in 2018
• Portugal almost blew a 3-1 lead against the tournament’s lowest-ranked side in their opener
• The Portuguese have won one of their last nine meetings with South American opposition
• Valverde has scored four times in his last seven for Real Madrid and has four Uruguay goals to date

Portugal win but struggle to impress

Opening your World Cup campaign with a victory and three goals should be cause for celebration, but Portugal’s 3-2 victory over Ghana wasn’t the kind of message they wanted to send out. Cristiano Ronaldo got his big moment when he opened the scoring, but his side certainly didn’t prove themselves as contenders.

Portugal laboured for over an hour against the lowest-ranked side at the competition. They then conceded an equaliser and came close to blowing a 3-1 lead. The energy from the Ghanaians was impressive, but the Portuguese display suggested they would struggle against tougher opposition. Tournament dark horses Uruguay should be that opposition.

Uruguay to build on blank

Uruguay didn’t have a great opener either, drawing 0-0 with South Korea having struggled to create chances. However, that solid defensive display is something for them to build on and they have the attacking talent which can help them grow into the competition.

Uruguay have a combative, solid midfield trio and that helps their defence. However, Rodrigo Bentancur, Matias Vecino and Federico Valverde each can be a threat going forward. Real Madrid midfielder Valverde has been proving himself of late, chipping in with four goals and two assists in his last seven for the European champions.

He’s averaged a shot on target per game across the league and Champions League for his club and he’s already hit four goals in his international career to date. Back him to score his biggest goal for Uruguay so far against Portugal.

South Americans to hold firm

Uruguay have won four of their last five World Cup matches against European nations, which includes a 2-1 victory over Portugal in 2018. Meanwhile, the Portuguese have won just one of their last nine meetings with South American nations in all competitions. Based on their start, they should struggle to turn that around.

Uruguay have lost only once in their last 10 games, while they’ve put together a fantastic defensive record. Portugal’s shaky defending against Ghana suggests that Uruguay can get some joy going forward, so back the South American side to avoid defeat.

Uruguay have failed to score in their last two World Cup games – only once have they done so in three consecutive games at the tournament. They’ve also kept a clean sheet in each of their last five group stage games at the World Cup – no side has ever done so in six consecutive group games in the competition’s history. Given those trends, a 1-1 draw looks to be on the cards here.