Uruguay and Brazil to meet on CONMEBOL WCQ matchday No. 4
Uruguay vs Brazil - 18/10/2023
Maciej Rogowski Photo / Shutterstock.com
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CONMEBOL 2026 World Cup qualifying kicks off this week with a dandy of a fixture between Uruguay and Brazil in Montevideo.
Brazil go into round No. 4 with seven points from nine points on offer in qualifying. Ranked No. 3 in the world, Brazil are under the management of caretaker Fernando Diniz.
The Selecao are coming off a shock 1-1 draw in Cuiaba against Venezuela.
Gabriel’s 50th-minute goal was cancelled out by Eduard Bello’s 85th-minute strike. The draw ended a two-match winning streak for Brazil.
Since losing in the quarterfinals of last year’s World Cup, Brazil have not played well in all competitions.
They suffered defeats to Morocco and Senegal but defeated Guinea, Bolivia, and Peru before drawing with Venezuela.
Uruguay are fourth in the CONMEBOL standings. The Sky Blues took just four points from their opening three matches in qualifying.
Marcelo Bielsa took over the reins of the Uruguay national team following the 2022 World Cup.
The team has not come to grips with Bielsa’s style of play so far. The team is ranked No. 17 in the world.
After opening their World Cup qualifying campaign with a 3-1 win over Chile, Uruguay lost 2-1 to Ecuador before drawing 2-2 with Colombia last time out.
Darwin Nunez’s 91st-minute penalty against Colombia saved the Uruguayans’ early hopes of qualifying. Uruguay are five points off first-place Argentina in qualifying.
With more teams qualifying for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, six of the 10 teams in CONMEBOL will automatically qualify for the tournament in North America.
The seventh-place team in the standings will qualify for the World Cup inter-confederation playoffs.
Uruguay and Brazil have played 78 times dating back to 1916. The Sky Blues dominated the early stages of their rivalry.
But since 2004, Uruguay have not defeated Brazil in a head-to-head meeting.
Brazil are on an 11-game unbeaten run against Uruguay in all competitions. The Selecao won each of the last four games between the teams.
The most recent meeting between Uruguay and Brazil was in October 2021. Brazil won 4-1.
Neymar will be fit to face Uruguay and should play behind a central striker, most likely Richarlison.
Vinicius Jr and Rodrygo could line up on the wings. Diniz used Ederson in goal against Venezuela.
Bielsa will likely play Liverpool’s Nunez as a central striker. Fede Valverde is likely to slow into central midfield.
Uruguay are in a rebuilding phase currently, with several notable players no longer playing international football.
Brazil are looking for a 41st all-time win against Uruguay in Montevideo. Can they get it?
Home team
Away team
Pred
Correct score
Avg. goals
Weather conditions
Coef.
Score
Live
coef.
WCQ
223444
2
1 - 4
2.67
22°
1.91
4.20
3.40
1.91
no
no
no
2 - 0(1 - 0)
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