World Cup 2018 Preview: Uruguay's Immovable Defence Against France's Unstoppable Attack
Uruguay and France are pitted in possibly one of the closest clashes in the quarter-finals.
France will pin their hopes on Mbappe but the teenager will be up against Uruguay's brilliant defence.© AFP
France and Uruguay will clash in the first quarter-final match of World Cup 2018 on Friday. The Nizhny Novgorod Stadium will play host to the mouth-watering contest which is being touted as a clash between Uruguay's steely defence against France's free-flowing attacking football.
Both teams are unbeaten heading into the match of former world champions. While Uruguay has won all their games and has conceded just the one goal so far, France knocked out Argentina in a spectacular Round of 16 clashes. The latest of Uruguay's three meetings with France at a FIFA World Cup took place at South Africa 2010 when the sides played out a goalless draw in Cape Town on June 11 that year.
Antoine Griezmann and Lucas Hernandez face off with Atletico Madrid team-mates Diego Godin and Jose Gimenez, while Paris Saint-Germain strike partners Edinson Cavani and Kylian Mbappealso cross paths.
While Uruguay sweat on the fitness of striker Cavani, it should be remembered that La Celeste's progress in Russia has been built upon their defence as much as their A-list attack.
While France pin their hopes on Mbappe, it is unlikely that the teenage superstar has encountered a defence quite like Uruguay's.
Led by captain Diego Godin, and including Jose Gimenez, Martin Caceres and Diego Laxalt, along with goalkeeper Fernando Muslera, Uruguay's defence have the joint-best record at the FIFA World Cup 2018.
They passed through the group stage without conceding a goal, and the only player to score against Uruguay was Portugal's Pepe in the last 16, and that was ultimately in vain.
Brazil is the only other team to have conceded just the solitary goal so far.
Uruguay has conceded three fewer goals than France. Both teams have scored seven times.
Antoine Griezmann and Lucas Hernandez face off with Atletico Madrid team-mates Diego Godin and Jose Gimenez, while Paris Saint-Germain strike partners Edinson Cavani and Kylian Mbappealso cross paths.
While Uruguay sweat on the fitness of striker Cavani, it should be remembered that La Celeste's progress in Russia has been built upon their defence as much as their A-list attack.
While France pin their hopes on Mbappe, it is unlikely that the teenage superstar has encountered a defence quite like Uruguay's.
Led by captain Diego Godin, and including Jose Gimenez, Martin Caceres and Diego Laxalt, along with goalkeeper Fernando Muslera, Uruguay's defence have the joint-best record at the FIFA World Cup 2018.
They passed through the group stage without conceding a goal, and the only player to score against Uruguay was Portugal's Pepe in the last 16, and that was ultimately in vain.
Brazil is the only other team to have conceded just the solitary goal so far.
Uruguay has conceded three fewer goals than France. Both teams have scored seven times.
This post is from https://sports.ndtv.com
No comments:
Post a Comment