2018 World Cup Betting Prediction: Uruguay vs. Saudi Arabia Odds

Matchday 2 will wrap up for Group A on Tuesday when Uruguay clashes with Saudi Arabia. Uruguay is considered a much stronger team than Russia, so Saudi Arabia better get it together or they’ll be at risk of another blowout loss.

World Cup 2018: Uruguay vs. Saudi Arabia Betting Analysis

Uruguay picked up from where it left off in qualifying in its opening win over Egypt following a campaign in which it finished second in CONMEBOL Confederation standings behind only Brazil with a 9-4-5 record. Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia looked like a sleeper in Group A after it managed to go 6-1-3 in the qualifying stage but clearly that was phony.

Uruguay

Jose Maria Gimenez was the hero for Uruguay in its opener with a goal in the 89^th minute to salvage a win over Egypt. Now this team has a chance to get to six points in what appears to be its most favorable match of the group stage. Despite scoring just one goal, Uruguay had countless opportunities versus Egypt in a game that could have easily been a lot more lopsided than it was. Luis Suarez and Edison Cavani in particular had a number of chances and looked extremely dangerous up front.

After watching what Russia did to Saudi Arabia in its opener, Suarez and Cavani appear primed to absolutely feast on this matchup. The South American side secured 57-percent possession in its opener and could easily best that mark in this match. The key to success will be producing more shots on target after finishing with just four in the first game. If Russia can pick this unit apart, one can only expect that Uruguay – and their all-world weapons up front – will do the same.

Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia will have to pick itself up following the most lopsided loss in a World Cup opener of all-time. There were high expectations for this Saudi side heading in to the tournament but it had no answer for Russia and this matchup projects to be even more difficult. Possession could be a major issue for the Saudi midfielders again in this game against a tough Uruguay side. The good news is that Saudi Arabia did hold the ball for 62% of the time in the opener. That was one glimmer of optimism. The Saudi team has three starters on defense that are over 30-years-old and they will have a difficult time matching the speed that Suarez and Cavani will produce up front. Keeping the ball away is their best chance.

Saudi Arabia is now 2-10-2 in World Cup matches, which is the second-worst record all-time behind only Iran. The most likely scenario is that they continue to trend in the wrong direction on Wednesday with another lopsided loss that pretty much seals their fate as a team that won’t advance past the group stage. Even a draw would be a miracle.

Uruguay vs. Saudi Arabia World Cup Prediction

 Uruguay 3, Saudi Arabia 0