Uruguay take on Colombia in the CONMEBOL 2018 World Cup Qualifiers at the Estadio Centenario in Montevideo tonight, and both teams will look keen on building on their respective wins from their previous games.
Both the South American nations are clubbed in the No 1 spot, alongside Chile and Uruguay, in the league standings so far, after all the four teams registered all the three points in their previous fixture. While Colombia won 2-0 against Peru, Uruguay also got past Bolivia with a 2-0 margin.
For Uruguay, the attacking front is set to miss big names like Luis Suarez and Edinson Cavani, as the duo are suspended for the game. However, the rock-hard defensive duo of Martin Cáceres and Diego Godín remain available for the game tonight.
For Colombia, sensational Real Madrid midfielder James Rodriguez will be unavailable for the game, as he is recovering from a thigh injury. Radamel Falcao is expected to start upfront in place of him, while AC Milan forward Carlos Bacca can also be expected to play a part in the game tonight.
"He [James Rodriguez] is a player who has been very important for us, but we have shown in the previous game that can beat a good team and we can do that again, "Jose Pekerman, head coach, Colombia, said in the pre-match presser.
"Our style of playing is not going to change because of their absences," Pekerman referred to the unavailability of Uruguay star players Cavani and Suarez.
Meanwhile, Oscar Tabarez, head coach, Uruguay, mentioned that the absence of Rodriguez will not prove easy for Uruguay in any way as the Real Madrid midfielder's absence can be filled in with Falcao. "It will be a tough game. We will work hard to limit them," Tabarez said. "Colombia has the important absence of James Rodriguez, it is true, but he is a player who plays in a similar way in the attack category as Radamel Falcao."
Expected line-ups
Uruguay:Muslera; Giménez, Godín, Corujo, Cáceres; Pereira, Andres Sánchez, Rodríguez, González; Hernández, Stuani.
Colombia: Ospina; Zapata, Arias, Fabra, Murillo; Sánchez Moreno, Cardona, Cuadrado, Guarín; Falcao, Gutiérrez.
Where to watch Live
CONMEBOL World Cup qualifier: Uruguay vs Colombia is scheduled for a 4:30am IST (11pm GMT, 12am BST, 7pm ET) start.
There will be no live coverage of the game in India and the UK.
However, the US audience can stream the game Live on beIN Sports Connect.
Viewers in Uruguay can catch the game on VTV Uruguay, while viewers in Colombia can Stream the game on Caracol Play, and watch it live on Caracol TV.
