Team News
Uruguay coach Oscar Washington Tabarez will be delighted with the fact that he will be able to count with a full-strength squad for the clash. There were question marks as to whether Diego Forlan would be fit for the game, after injuring his toe against Russia, but the Inter Milan striker has since returned to training and will lead Uruguay's three-man attack alongside Edinson Cavani and Luis Suarez.
Meanwhile, Venezuela coach Cesar Farias will be forced to make at least three changes to the side that beat Bolivia in November. Franklin Lucena, Giancarlo Maldonado and Ronald Vargas will all miss the game, while River Plate midfielder Cesar Gonzalez remains in doubt. If Gonzalez doesn't recover in time, his place will likely be occupied by Yohandry Orozco.
Probable Starting Line-ups
Uruguay: Muslera, M. Pereira, Lugano, Godin, Caceres, Perez, Rios, A. Pereira, Forlan, Cavani and Suarez.
Venezuela: Vega, Rosales, Vizcarrondo, Amorebieta, Cichero, Rincon, Seijas, Gonzalez, Arango, S. Rondon and Miku.
Form
Uruguay come into the clash in stunning form, as not only do they lead South American WCQing with seven points from three games, but they remain unbeaten in their last 15 games, after holding Russia to a 1-1 draw in Moscow last Friday. The Copa America champions are passing through without any doubt their greatest period in recent history, and will be hoping to steer closer towards another World Cup finals appearance, with a win over the Venezuelans. Venezuela, who have never qualified for soccer's biggest competition, are steady in World Cup qualifying, with their last game ending in a 1-0 victory over Bolivia. Since then the Vinotinto have played four friendlies, where they won only one game, 4-0 over Moldova last week, and suffered three defeats.
Players to Look out for
Suarez: The Liverpool striker leads the South American WCQing scoring charts with five goals, thanks to the four goals he notched up against Chile in Uruguay's last game, and will surely cause constant problems for the Venezuelan defence. Suarez has sufficient talent to decide the game pretty much on his own.
Amorebieta: Having lost two finals, the Europa League and the Copa del Rey, with his club Athletic Bilbao this month, the big defender will be hoping to help Venezuela in their attempts to reach the World Cup for the very first time. His defensive work against Uruguay will be crucial for the Venezuelans chances of picking up a positive result at the Estadio Centenario.
Prediction
Uruguay have yet to taste defeat in the World Cup qualifiers, and will likely prove too strong for the visitors because of the abundance of quality they count with in every sector of the field, especially in the attack, where they count with the venomous three-man strike-force of Suarez, Cavani and Forlan. Venezuela, who picked up a precious point the last time they visited Montevideo for a World Cup qualifier, have improved heaps and despite coming into the game as the clear underdogs they will rate their chances of returning home with at least a point.
The Verdict:
