Uruguay v Portugal 2018 World Cup Round of 16 Odds & Pick

Written by on June 28, 2018

Could Saturday be the final game in the World Cup career of Portuguese superstar Cristiano Ronaldo? If his side loses to Uruguay, then it probably is – and the Uruguayans are favored on the MyBookie Sportsbook soccer odds. The winner faces either France or Argentina in the quarterfinals.

2018 World Cup Round of 16 Odds & Pick: Uruguay v Portugal

  • When: Saturday, 2 PM ET
  • Where: Fisht Stadium, Sochi, Russia
  • TV/Stream: Fox/Fox Sports Go
  • 2018 World Cup Round of 16 Odds: Uruguay +157 / Portugal +196 / Draw +192 (Total 2)

Head to Head

  • Games Played: 2
  • Uruguay Victories: 0
  • Uruguay Goals: 1
  • Portugal Victories: 1
  • Portugal Goals: 4
  • Draws: 1

2018 FIFA World Cup Props

Why Bet on Uruguay?

  • Confederation: CONMEBOL
  • Head coach: Óscar Tabárez
  • Captain: Diego Godín
  • FIFA Ranking: 14
  • World Cup Appearances: 13
Only two teams finished the group stage with nine points (three wins): Croatia and Group A winner Uruguay. It closed the first round with an impressive 3-0 over host country Russia and has yet to allow a goal in this tournament. Star Luis Suarez opened the scoring in the 10th-minute vs. Russia with a low free-kick and Denis Cheryshev deflected a Diego Laxalt shot into his own net (23) before Russian Igor Smolnikov was sent off for a second yellow card nine minutes before half-time. Edinson Cavani poked home Uruguay’s third in injury-time to seal a victory. Oscar Tabarez made four personnel changes for that fixture with the idea to both rest players for the second stage and — perhaps more critically — to happen upon a lineup that made the most of Uruguay’s gifts. They had spluttered in defeating Egypt and Saudi Arabia 1-0 but came out of the traps quickly vs. Russia. The goals that they missed in the first two games finally appeared, especially with the strike by Cavani, one of La Celeste’s key men. The changes were Nahitan Nandez, Lucas Torreira, Diego Laxalt, and Sebastian Coates came in, replacing Jose Gimenez, Guillermo Varela, Cristian Rodriguez and Carlos Sanchez. A better-structured formation down the middle provided them with a stronger platform to launch their attacks. Uruguay finished as first-round group winners for just the fifth time, having done so previously in 1930, 1950, 1954 and most recently in 2010. Cavani became just the second player to score a goal in three separate World Cup tournaments for Uruguay (2010, 2014 and 2018) after his strike partner Luis Suarez. Uruguay and Portugal have only met twice in history and in friendly matches. The first match was in Lisbon in 1966 when the European side won 3-0. The second encounter was a 1-1 draw in Brazil in 1972.

Projected Line-Up

  • 1-F. Muslera
  • 22-M. Cáceres
  • 3-D. Godín
  • 4-G. Varela
  • 2-J. Giménez
  • 15-M. Vecino
  • 10-G. De Arrascaeta
  • 8-N. Nández
  • 6-R. Bentancur
  • 9-L. Suárez
  • 21-E. Cavani

Why Bet on Portugal?

  • Confederation: UEFA
  • Head coach: Fernando Santos
  • Captain: Cristiano Ronaldo
  • FIFA Ranking: 4
  • World Cup Appearances: 7
Cristiano Ronaldo and Co. finished second in Group B after a 1-1 draw with Iran. Ricardo Quaresma scored a sublime goal in the 45th minute and Cristiano Ronaldo had a penalty saved in the second half. Ronaldo has a 50 percent penalty success rate in major tournaments for Portugal, scoring two, but also failing with two. The Real Madrid superstar Ronaldo escaped a red card for a nasty elbow on Morteza Pouraliganji late in the World Cup Group B match. His elbow clearly caught Pouralganji with the Iranian ace left rolling on the floor with his hands over his face. The referee had a closer look at the incident after being instructed by VAR officials he might have to take further action. Ronaldo already scored four goals for Fernando Santos’ side in Russia. Ronaldo’s yellow card might well hurt further down the road if he were to get suspended. Two of Ronaldo’s three penalties at the World Cup for Portugal have been against Iran – he scored in 2006 but saw his effort saved in this game. Portugal is slight underdog at the 2018 World Cup Round of 16 Odds against Uruguay. Fuming Iran boss Carlos Queiroz said: “It was a clear and obvious elbow and it was a clear red card. The rules don’t say it’s a red card unless it’s Ronaldo or Messi.” A win would have taken Iran through. Joao Moutinho (illness) was replaced in Portugal’s midfield by Leicester’s Adrien Silva. Ricardo Quaresma and Andre Silva also started as Santos made three changes in his lineup vs. Iran. Portugal stuttered where they should have cruised. The upshot was a second place behind a shaky Spain, a last-16 tie vs. Uruguay instead of Russia, and a much more arduous route beyond that. Portugal has progressed from the group stage of the World Cup for the fourth time in their history. Portugal has never lost a World Cup match when they’ve scored first (W13 D3). “We know that in 2018 they haven’t lost any of their six games and didn’t concede any goals,” Portugal right-back Cedric Soares said of Uruguay. “That is something to pay attention. It’s a team that has quality.” The last time Uruguay allowed a goal was in a 4-2 victory over Bolivia in World Cup qualifying. That match was in October 2017.

Projected Line-Up

  • 1-Rui Patrício
  • 3-Pepe
  • 6-José Fonte
  • 21-Cédric Soares
  • 5-Raphaël Guerreiro
  • 8-João Moutinho
  • 14-William Carvalho
  • 10-João Mário
  • 17-Gonçalo Guedes
  • 11-Bernardo Silva
  • 7-Cristiano Ronaldo

Expert Final Score Prediction

Portugal 1 – Uruguay 0

Keeping up with the Action

MyBookie has all the information you need to keep up-to-date on all things World Cup. From World Cup prop bets to moneyline wagers and point spreads, there’s plenty of ways to keep it exciting. Make work more entertaining by starting your own FIFA World Cup Round of 16 Pool using the MyBookie World Cup printable bracket and keep your mind on the tournament at all times.