CONMEBOL World Cup Qualifiers: Uruguay vs Brazil Preview & Odds
South American Rivals Face Off
Brazil Unbeaten vs Uruguay for Over 20 Years
In one of the biggest matches of CONMEBOL World Cup qualifiers, Uruguay hosts Brazil on Tuesday. Uruguay haven’t kept a clean sheet yet and it’ll be a challenge to keep one vs. a team they haven’t beaten for over 20 years. Meanwhile, Brazil had to settle for a draw vs. Venezuela on Thursday and will look to bounce back. In our Uruguay vs Brazil preview, we’ll take a closer look at the odds and latest team news.
Uruguay vs Brazil
Day/Time:
Location: Estadio Centenario, Montevideo, Uruguay
Head-to-Head:
Brazil are unbeaten in their last 12 matches vs. Uruguay, which includes eight World Cup qualifiers. The Selecao are also on a four-game winning streak in this fixture and outscored Uruguay 6-1 in two 2022 World Cup qualifiers. Uruguay’s last win over Brazil was back in 2001 and they’ve lost three straight on home soil. All-time, Brazil have dominated this fixture as they lead Uruguay 40-21. Plus, 17 matches have ended in draws.
Uruguay Snag Late Equalizer
Marcelo Bielsa got a win in his first FIFA World Cup qualifier with Uruguay as La Celeste defeated Chile 3-1 last month. A few days later, Uruguay fell 2-1 to Ecuador. Uruguay are yet to keep a shutout in CONMEBOL qualifiers as they drew 2-2 at Colombia last Thursday. James Rodriguez opened up the scoring for the hosts and Uruguay’s Mathias Olivera equalized early in the second half.
Colombia took another lead a few minutes later but Uruguay won a late penalty. Darwin Nunez stepped up and converted to level the match at two. Only Bolivia has conceded more goals than Uruguay in CONMEBOL so far and Colombia had a bunch of opportunities last Thursday. Ronald Araujo returned from an injury that kept him out of last month’s matches but Jose Gimenez remains out. The good news for Uruguay is that they’ve gotten on the scoresheet in all three of their matches so far.
While South American matches tend to be low-scoring, Marcelo Bielsa’s preferred style of play should mean opportunities for both sides. Our Uruguay vs Brazil preview notes that along with Araujo and Nunez, Fede Valverde and Manuel Ugarte are key players for Uruguay. Valverde and Ugarte play at the base of midfield and will be tasked with snuffing out attacks and progressing the ball upfield.
Brazil Fail to Defeat Venezuela
Brazil entered last Thursday’s match vs. Venezuela as a -910 favorite but couldn’t manage to get a victory. Neymar assisted Gabriel Magalhaes for his first national team goal but Eduard Bello’s bicycle kick canceled it out. Brazil has now only scored once in each of their last two matches but does hold a 2-1-0 record in CONMEBOL qualifiers. With players like Neymar, Vinicius Jr., Rodrygo, and Casemiro, it’s no surprise that Brazil is third in the FIFA World Cup rankings.
It’s incredibly early on but they also currently sit at +550 odds to win World Cup. That’s joint-best, along with France. Brazil qualifying for the World Cup is always a formality but they take pride in finishing above rivals Argentina. Although Brazil are stacked with talent, they’ve only won three of their last six matches, in all competitions.
Multiple defenders are out injured, including Renan Lodi, Caio Henrique, and Eder Militao. Lucas Paqueta and Antony are both out of the squad for legal reasons, while Joelinton, Raphinha, and Gabriel Martinelli are also injured. Still, Brazil should have more than enough firepower to get over the line.
Match Analysis & Odds
Richarlison was underwhelming for Brazil in their draw vs. Venezuela. It remains to be seen whether caretaker manager Fernando Diniz will replace him with Gabriel Jesus. Uruguay vs Brazil previews mention that Brazil have averaged 2.4 goals per game in their last 10 matches vs. Uruguay, regardless. Brazil has also won eight of the last nine meetings, in all competitions.
Here, Brazil is even-money favorite in what might not be an easy match for them. Meanwhile, Uruguay comes in as +310 underdogs and hasn’t lost at home for nearly two years. Bettors can take Uruguay’s pk, 0.5 at +130 odds, while Brazil’s pk, -0.5 displays -160 odds.
Uruguay have lost each of their last three home games to Brazil but a draw is priced at +235 odds for this one. Both teams have scored in each of Uruguay’s qualifiers so far and over two goals sit at -165 odds for this one.
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