CONMEBOL WCQ: Uruguay vs Chile Odds, Preview
Chile Missed Out on Last Two World Cups
New Look Uruguay Kick off WCQ Campaign
Uruguayan legends Luis Suarez and Edinson Cavani last appeared for La Celeste at the World Cup. Without the two strikers, Uruguay will kick off their World Cup Qualifying campaign vs. Chile on Friday. Chile has failed to qualify for the last two World Cups but isn’t an easy opponent. Chile has historically struggled in matches on Uruguayan soil, though. We’ll look at La Roja’s chances to make history as we preview the Uruguay vs Chile odds.
CONMEBOL World Cup Qualifiers
Uruguay vs Chile
Date & Time:
Location: Estadio Centenario, Montevideo, Uruguay
Head-to-Head:
Uruguay has won three of its last four games vs. Chile, including both meetings in the 2022 CONMEBOL World Cup qualifying. Chile has never defeated Uruguay in an away match. In Montevideo in 2020, Uruguay defeated Chile 2-1. Luis Suarez scored in that match and the CONMEBOL WCQ reverse fixture, which Uruguay won 2-0. Uruguay and Chile also drew 1-1 in the 2021 Copa America group stage.
Suarez, Cavani Era Over for Uruguay
- Next Match: Sep. 12 at Ecuador
- Key Injuries/Suspensions: D Ronald Araujo (Out), D Jose Gimenez (Out), M Rodrigo Bentancur (Out), M Giorgian de Arrascaeta (Out)
Darwin Nunez is suddenly a much more important player for club and country. With former Liverpool forward Roberto Firmino heading to Saudi Arabia and Edinson Cavani and Luis Suarez not in the national team fold, Nunez figures to receive more minutes. The 24-year-old striker has shown flashes of high potential but hasn’t yet put together a stretch of consistent performances.
Nunez has scored three goals in 16 appearances for Uruguay and has big shoes to fill. Suarez and Cavani are Uruguay’s two all-time leading scorers and were part of the best generation of Uruguayan players for quite some time. In the 2022 qualifiers, Uruguay finished third in the CONMEBOL standings but started slowly. They won just four of their first 14 matches before going on a four-game winning streak to close out.
Along with Suarez and Cavani, a few other Uruguay legends figure not to be in the national team fold going forward. Goalkeeper Fernando Muslera and retired defenders Diego Godin and Martin Caceres aren’t in the squad. With both Jose Gimenez and Ronald Araujo out, Uruguay’s defense is a bit thin for this round of qualifiers. Still, the Uruguay vs Chile odds price the hosts as -150 favorites for this match.
Chile Relying on Aging Stars
- Next Match: Sep. 12 vs. Colombia
- Key Injuries/Suspensions: GK Claudio Bravo (Out), F Bruno Barticciotto
Chile’s 2022 CONMEBOL qualifiers campaign was highly disappointing. La Roja won just five of their 18 matches and won just one of their first ten matches. Like Uruguay, Chile has an aging squad, and most of their legends are still active. Defender Gary Medel, midfielder Arturo Vidal, and forward Alexis Sanchez have combined for over 400 Chile appearances, and all of them are in Eduardo Berizzo’s squad.
Promising young forward Bruno Barticciotto is out injured and scored twice on his debut in June. So, Sanchez and Ben Brereton Diaz should be Chile’s forwards for this one. Longtime goalkeeper Claudio Bravo is also out injured for September qualifiers, and one of Bryan Cortes and Gabriel Arias figures to start in his place.
Chile have kept three straight clean sheets and are unbeaten in their last four games heading into this one. They have a solid defensive line that could feature Medel, Guillermo Maripan, Gabriel Suazo, and Juan Delgado. However, Chile only won two of their nine road matches in the 2022 World Cup qualifiers.
Match Analysis and Odds
Uruguay have won their last three home matches vs. Chile and have outscored them 9-1 in the process. Here, the Uruguay vs Chile odds price La Celeste as -145 favorites and Uruguay -0.5, -1 shows -115 odds. Chile +0.5, +1 also comes in at -115, but their road form over the last few years is concerning.
Although Uruguay has lost many players in recent years, midfielders Manuel Ugarte and Federico Valverde are two of the best young midfielders playing in Europe right now. It could definitely hurt having both Jose Gimenez and Ronald Araujo out in the center of defense. So, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Chile get on the scoresheet here. Both over and under 2, 2.5 goals display -115 odds, regardless.
Chile are +440 underdogs as they seek their first-ever win over Uruguay on the road. Alexis Sanchez, who just returned to Inter Milan on a free transfer, has scored 51 international goals for Chile. A draw is priced at +275 odds, but Uruguay will undoubtedly expect to win this one.
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