For teams and fans alike, Saturday 30 June is when things get serious in Russia. And by the time the whistle goes to start the Round of 16 fixture between Uruguay and Portugal, the teams will already be aware of who lies in wait for the victors in the quarter-finals.
However, the South Americans and the European champions would be well advised to remain focused on the task at hand. With Luis Suarez and Edinson Cavani teaming up on one side, and Cristiano Ronaldo on the other, even the tiniest lapse in concentration could prove fatal.
It will be only the third time in history that the teams have played against each other, and their very first meeting at the FIFA World Cup™. Yet many of the players will be perfectly familiar with those lining up against them on Saturday, with the two squads packed full of team-mates and rivals from club football in Portugal, Spain and beyond.
The match will also be decided on the sidelines and in the dressing rooms. Oscar Tabarez and Fernando Santos are two of the most experienced coaches at the World Cup, and they will be doing everything in their power to ensure that their players are in the best possible frame of mind come kick-off on Saturday evening.
Did you know?
In their history at the World Cup, only once have Uruguay come up against a European team in the Round of 16. The match in question came at the 1990 tournament in Rome, where La Celeste were beaten 2-0 by hosts Italy. Who was in charge of the team on that occasion? None other than a certain Oscar Tabarez.
Possible Line-ups
Uruguay: Fernando Muslera; Martin Caceres, Jose Maria Gimenez, Diego Godin, Diego Laxalt; Nahitan Nandez, Matias Vecino, Lucas Torreira, Rodrigo Bentancur; Luis Suarez and Edinson Cavani.
Portugal: Rui Patricio; Cedric, Pepe, Jose Fonte, Raphael Guerreiro, William; Adrien Silva, Ricardo Quaresma, Joao Mario; Goncalo Guedes, Cristiano Ronaldo.
The knockout stages of the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia™ begin on Saturday, with France and Argentina set to meet in Kazan for the first Round of 16 encounter. These two heavyweights of international football are always among the favourites to lift the Trophy, and boast of some of the game’s biggest superstars, from Paul Pogba and Antoine Griezmann to Lionel Messi and Angel Di Maria. It is a duel to warm the hearts of every devotee of the beautiful game.
L’Equipe Tricolore navigated their way out of the group stages with two wins and a draw. While Didier Deschamps’ star-studded squad have not yet faced a truly challenging test, they have certainly not dazzled either. The 1998 world champions will have to step things up at least one more gear. Will conserving energy and resting some of their biggest names in the last group match against Denmark work to France’s advantage? The Europeans seem to have the measure of South American teams, having gone eight FIFA World Cup™ matches unbeaten against these sides – but the last nation to defeat Les Bleus in the competition in 1978 was Argentina – who else?
Having finished as runners-up at Brazil 2014, La Albiceleste narrowly avoided suffering the same fate as reigning champions Germany in the group stages. The tournament now begins in earnest for the two-time World Cup winners. A tough start to the competition could be exactly the motivation the South Americans need to raise their game against better teams and harness their immense attacking potential, which centres around Lionel Messi. Argentina have emerged victorious from both of the pair’s two previous World Cup meetings, ultimately reaching the Final on both occasions.
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