The 2018 World Cup is down to its last eight, and there can be no better fixture to kick off the quarter-finals than Uruguay versus France.
France went out in the quarter-finals the last time in Brazil to the defending champions Germany, whereas Uruguay missed out on the quarters in 2014 after falling to Colombia in the Round of 16.
Both teams, with different strengths, will make for an intriguing match-up. The game is expected to be a battle between Uruguay’s organisation coming up against France’s individual flair.
Matuidi and Cavani missing
Both sides will aim to compensate for the lack of missing personnel, but Uruguay definitely drew the short straw in this regard.
Edinson Cavani put Portugal to the sword as he headed the first and curled home the second goal in Los Charruas’ 2-1 win over the European champions. However, Cavani limped off the pitch towards the end after suffering a suspected calf injury.
After starting the World Cup slowly, Uruguay’s attack has whirred into motion with Suarez and Cavani netting four of their country’s last five goals in two games. In the absence of Cavani, Suarez could play as a lone striker, with Giorgian de Arrascaeta playing behind him.
France’s Blaise Matuidi is also suspended after accumulating two yellow cards. Didier Deschamps may not change his formation, having replacements on the left wing in Nabil Fekir and Thomas Lemar. The choice will depend upon the style of play that Deschamps wants to adopt.
Matuidi’s inclusion against Peru was initially to counter the threat of pace posed by La Blanquirroja but as the tournament has progressed, Deschamps has left the Juventus man on the left as a safety shield.
The addition of Fekir will provide pace on the wings but may not provide the back-up to Lucas Hernandez at left-back. Lemar may not cut in from the wing, but his crosses for Olivier Giroud could be the key to breaking down Uruguay’s staunch defence. Corentin Tolisso is also an option, but the Bayern Munich midfielder could make it a flat middle three with Hernandez tucking in on the overlap.
Deschamps’ talented lot vs Tabarez’s organised machine
As mentioned earlier, Deschamps is this team’s weak link, with the French coach unable to squeeze the best out of a line-up filled with individual talent. They have looked lost for tactics at times, even against Argentina in a match that they won 4-2.
France went up 1-0 through an Antoine Griezmann penalty but the fact that they sat back after that displays a clear lack of thinking on the part of their World Cup-winning coach. Kylian Mbappe’s pace had broken Argentina open but France bizarrely sat back and chose not to attack La Albiceleste for the rest of the half.
As against Argentina, France cannot afford to dawdle against Uruguay till they go a goal down. France have let individual brilliance carry them through despite not being convincing, but against an well-oiled machine, the door could shut for the 1998 champions if Uruguay open the scoring.
Uruguay’s biggest strength is clearly their defence led by Diego Godin and Jose Gimenez in the middle. This backline has only conceded once in 2018, the goal scored by Pepe against them in their last match.
Griezmann yet to burst into form
In a battle between an underwhelming attack and a tight rearguard, the margin could simply be one goal. France will pray Uruguay don’t score first, as Oscar Tabarez’s team haven’t let in much.
The X-factor for France is the presence of Antoine Griezmann up front. The Frenchman will be up against the godfather of his daughter, Godin, and club-mate Jose Gimenez. Familiarity could prove beneficial or detrimental in this case with the Uruguayan duo well aware of Griezmann’s attacking ability and vice-versa.
The latter is yet to fire in this tournament, a stark contrast to his six goals at the Euros a couple of years back and this could be the game he makes his own. France are expected to make Mbappe the focal point of their attack and this could be a welcome distraction for Griezmann as he seeks time and space to re-discover his scoring touch.
The duel to light up the tie could again involve the 19-year-old PSG forward Mbappe as he comes up against fellow speedster Diego Laxalt. The left-back impressed against Portugal, shutting down Fernando Santos’s plan to overload his flank but this one-on-one could be well worth a World Cup semi-final spot.
With a myriad of sub-plots on offer, Brazil versus Belgium might be the toast of this round but Uruguay vs France are the crackers that go along with the toast.
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