Brazil will be looking to bounce back from their draw against Venezuela when they visit Uruguay in World Cup qualifying. The opponents will be coming off of a 1-1 tie with Venezuela. Uruguay also split the points in their previous match, drawing 2-2 with Colombia at Barranquilla.
Preview (Uruguay vs. Brazil)
Uruguay has participated in all four of the most recent World Cups, coming in fourth place in 2010. They moved on to the round of 16 and quarterfinals in 2014 and 2018, respectively. In their three 2026 World Cup qualifying matches, Marcelo Bielsa’s team has won one, drawn one, and lost one. With four points overall, they are now in fourth place in the table. They are five points behind the leaders Argentina and three behind second-place Brazil.
On September 9, Uruguay defeated Chile 3-1 in the opening match of their campaign. Since then, though, they have lost at home to Ecuador and drawn 2-2 with Colombia. The Bielsa team actually came within a few seconds of losing to Colombia. Darwin Nunez struck a stoppage-time penalty to give the visitors what may end up being a crucial point. Brazil, meanwhile, began their qualifying campaign on September 9 by defeating Bolivia 5-1. Four days later, they defeated Peru 1-0 to go onto six points in the group.
The Green Yellows have won the World Cup five times, making them the most successful team in tournament history. However, they have mostly struggled to perform well since their last victory in 2002. Brazil failed to advance past the quarterfinal stage in 2018 and 2022. With Carlo Ancelotti reportedly their top priority for the position next year, Fernando Diniz continues to serve as the interim manager of the national team. It is unclear, however, whether the Italian will step down from his position as Real Madrid manager.
Team News
Although Uruguay has not disclosed any new injury concerns following their draw with Colombia. Bielsa is expected to make changes for the match because Uruguay is now ranked second. Both Mathias and Cristian Olivera were introduced off the bench against Colombia, and based on their recent performances, they may now be given starting responsibilities. Facundo Pellistri of Manchester United is probably going to sit on the sidelines, but Ronald Araujo of Barcelona, Federico Valverde of Real Madrid, and Joey Nunez of Liverpool will start once more. Regarding Brazil, Casemiro was substituted against Venezuela due to an injury, making him a serious question mark for the match against Uruguay.
It would be unexpected to see the 31-year-old play here after Brazil manager Diniz claimed that he suffered “a blow to his ankle” during the match. The player who stands to gain from Casemiro’s absence is likely to be Flamengo’s Gerson, though Andre is another candidate to start alongside Bruno Guimaraes. Given that both teams will be attempting to get back to winning ways, this has all the makings of an enthralling game. Tuesday’s match between Uruguay and Brazil might go either way, but we just have a hunch that Brazil will be able to find a way to a crucial three points.
Uruguay 1 – 2 Brazil
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