Uruguay preparing for Portugal

URUGUAY are wary of facing Portugal’s f r ee scoring Cristiano Ronaldo (caricature) tomorrow’s World Cup last 1 6 clash but are preparing f or a showdown with the European champions – not one player – and believe the outcome will be down to details.

Ronaldo pulled his team through the group stage by slamming in four goals and as t heir talisman the 33year-old forward is the player all of the squad look to for a mome n t o f magic.

“They’re a team t hat have been playing together for a while. They have very important players, like Cristiano...,” Uruguay defender Sebastian Coates, who plays for Portuguese club Sporting, told reporters yesterday.

“While of course he’s a worldwide star, we’re going to treat him with t he same respect. You do not prepare for a game against one player but against a team,” added Coates. At least Uruguay’s tough back line will likely put up a fight against the talented Real Madrid player, as they have yet to concede a goal at the tournament in Russia. “We all defend. The entire team sacrifices itself,” said Coates. Tomorrow’s game in Sochi will be unpredictable and will come down to details, he and teammate Matias Vecino told reporters. “I think it will be a balanced game. It will be defined by details. One-off plays will decide the g a me,” a dded midfielder Vecino. Earlier, team doctor Alberto Pan said he was optimistic that defensive leader Jose Gimenez, who has a thigh injury, had improved enough to play against Portugal. “He has worked at a less demanding level than the rest of the team. Today he worked at an intermediary level and tomorrow he will join the team normally,” he said. “Depending on how he responds, which we hope will be positive, he will be at t he disposition of the coach.” – Reuters