De la Fuente’s team wants to win to take first place in the group and knock Uruguay out of the World Cup
On June 26, Spain will face Uruguay in the final match of the World Cup group stage for both teams. Uruguay must win this match to secure a spot in the next round, or at least tie to have a chance to advance as the third-place team. Spain wants to win and solidify its first-place position.
Spain, with a clear path forward
After some uncertainty in the match against Cape Verde, La Roja put those doubts aside with a resounding victory over Saudi Arabia, in which Miker Oyarzabal scored a brace and Lamine Yamal opened his World Cup scoring account.
De la Fuente made a series of tactical changes that paid off. Moving Pedri deeper into the midfield, bringing in Porro for Marcos Llorente, and introducing Alex Baena gave the team a new dimension on offense that helped them score four goals in a match where it was clear the Spanish team had taken their foot off the gas.
Now they’ll look to beat Uruguay, a team arriving with far more doubts than the Europeans following a meeting between the head coach and the captains.
Uruguay, in a very rough patch
The Charrúas, in addition to going through a very rough patch on the field, saw news break the day before their most important match in this tournament that there is a conflict between the captains and the coach.
In recent hours, several journalists close to the Uruguayan national team have reported that Valverde, Rochet, and Bentancur met with Bielsa to tell him that the team’s training sessions are too physically demanding and that they should look to play on the counterattack against Spain.
This isn’t the first time there has been friction between the coach and players on the Uruguayan national team; during the Copa América, reports surfaced of tensions between the coaching staff and the squad, and now, at the most critical moment, more bad news is emerging that could undermine Uruguay’s ability to advance.
Possible Starting Lineups
No changes are expected for the Spanish national team, and if the Spanish coach does make any changes, Lamine Yamal may come off the bench, and Nico Williams could replace Alex Baena.
For Uruguay, Darwin Núñez is expected to return to the starting lineup to capitalize on long balls played behind the Spanish defense, along with the return of Giménez to the starting lineup and Matías Olivera at left back.
Do you think Uruguay will rise to the challenge, or will Spain send the two-time world champions packing?