Saturday 28/06/2014, 22:00, World Cup Last 16, Colombia vs Uruguay

Colombia vs Uruguay Betting Preview

So far, there are only two teams at the World Cup to have won all three games in the group stage and Colombia is one of them. Before the competition began, this was an anticipated outcome, but only until it was crystal clear that Falcao will miss the competition due to his serious injury. Even without their most prolific strikers, the South Americans earned maximum points and now they will lock horns with neighboring Uruguay who qualified from a difficult group.

Colombia vs Uruguay Betting Odds

At Bet365

Colombia 2.10, Draw 3.50, Uruguay 3.80

Colombia vs Uruguay Betting Tips

Uruguay won the tournament twice, but this happened more than 60 years ago and their starting formation is not balanced enough for a similar performance in 2014. They have a formidable offensive with Suarez, Forlan and Cavani, but the three strikers are yet to play at full potential. Suarez single-handedly defeated England by scoring both goals, yet he will run into a better defensive and a highly motivated team.

Forlan is simply too old to be kept on the pitch for 90 min. and the coach decided to start with him as substitute against both Italy and England. As for Cavani, he is guaranteed to pair up with Suarez but the otherwise prolific striker has a single goal to brag about at World Cup 2014. Uruguay has its fair share of dangerous scoring opportunities, but the forwards squandered most of them, which left him hanging until the very last minute of both games

Even without Falcao, manager Pekerman has plenty of options up front and he gave most of his strikers a chance to play during the group stage. Rodriguez has scored in each of the three games and he is very likely to feature alongside Martinez who was on the verge of scoring a hat trick against Japan.

Bacca was kept on the bench while Gutierez was preferred, but Sevilla's striker is always an option for Colombia if veteran strikers don't deliver. Keeping a clean sheet has been pretty difficult for the South Americans, but it came as no surprise that the backline was the weakest link.

Key Facts

• Uruguay has the advantage in head to head games, having won eight matches and losing just four.
• Costa Rica scored three times in the opening match, while England has numerous opportunities, so the winning strategy for Colombia is to come out firing on all cylinders

Colombia vs Uruguay Betting Odds Prediction

This match is very likely to turn into a scoring festival, with both teams having stellar offensives and mediocre backlines. Colombia has more options upfront and a proven record at the World Cup, therefore it is worth backing them at full stakes. The odds of 2.10 are good enough for a decisive match, not to mention that past performance suggests that a draw is an unlikely outcome when these two teams go head to head.
Bet: Colombia @ 2.10 with Bet365