Iran, Portugal prepare for World Cup showdown
Monday’s Group B matchup will be fight for survival as tournament’s stakes continue to climb
The final round of games in Groups A and B are set for Monday, with the top two teams from each crossing over to play each other in the knockout stage.
The key game in Group B has Iran against Portugal, with the winner advancing. Spain, meanwhile, faces already-eliminated Morocco looking to do enough to clinch top spot.
Spain and Portugal are in a statistical dead heat. If they win or draw with identical scores, then first place in the group will be decided by FIFA’s fair play points. In Group A, Russia and Uruguay are already through, and face each other for first place, with the hope of avoiding Spain.
Russia has been the surprise of the tournament, confounding its critics by getting off to one of the best starts by a host team in World Cup history. But don’t get carried away. Russia’s opponents have been weak, its possession stats are poor, its passing stats have been terrible, and even in shots per game and chances created, Russia is middle of the pack.
Where Russia has excelled is in work rate, as the hosts have run farther and harder than any team in the tournament.
Russia has defended well, and been clinical in its finishing, putting away chances better than any other side. It’s a capable group of players who have finally started to click, and with the home crowd behind them, it will be interesting to see how far they can progress.
As for Uruguay, this is a team that came into the tournament highly regarded. It has a perfect record so far, and has yet to concede a goal. But Uruguay looks better on paper than it has on the pitch.
Up front the team is led by what should be the best attacking duo in the competition, as Luis Suarez and Edinson Cavani are two of the finest goal scorers in the game. Suarez though is unpredictable. He was expelled from the 2014 World Cup for biting, and his 2010 campaign ended with a red card for a blatant hand-ball to deny Ghana a goal.
Uruguay’s defence is anchored by Diego Godin and Jose Gimenez who do the same for Atletico Madrid.
In central midfield, Inter Milan’s Matias Vecino brings the creativity, while young Juventus workhorse Rodrigo Bentancur provides defensive cover.
Running the show is head coach Oscar Tabarez, who has been in charge since 2006 as well as from 1988 to 1990. This will be his 194th game as coach of Uruguay, the most anyone has ever coached a national team.
Uruguay is known for its tactical versatility, but it doesn’t really have the players for that this time.
Its strength is down the centre in pairs of two, so a 4-4-2 is the natural formation. That’s probably what Tabarez will stick with, but he could surprise us.