Sports Mole previews Wednesday’s World Cup Qualifying – South America clash between Brazil and Uruguay, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.
Brazil will be bidding to return to winning ways when they welcome Uruguay in a 2026 World Cup qualifier on Tuesday night, with the two sides sitting fourth and second respectively in the table.
Selecao will enter the clash off the back of a 1-1 draw with Venezuela, while Uruguay recorded a last-gasp 3-2 success over Colombia to swap positions with their opponents in the division.
Match preview
Brazil have certainly underwhelmed during their current qualification campaign, boasting a record of five wins, two draws and four defeats from 11 matches, which has left them in fourth position in the table on 17 points.
Selecao are five points behind leaders Argentina, but they are only two points behind second-placed Uruguay and would therefore be in a strong position in the division with a victory on Tuesday night.
Dorival Junior‘s side took the lead against Venezuela in their last match, with Raphinha on the scoresheet, but the home side hit back shortly after the restart, with the points being shared in a 1-1 draw.
Brazil have actually lost their last two games against Uruguay, including a penalty-shootout loss in the quarter-finals of the 2024 Copa America, while they were beaten 2-0 by the Sky Blues in the reverse game in this group last October.
The Green-Yellows have won the World Cup on five occasions, but they have not lifted the famous trophy since 2002 and have been eliminated in the quarter-finals in their last two participations, including in 2022.
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Uruguay, as mentioned, will enter this contest off the back of a 3-2 success over Colombia; it did appear that the points would be shared in a 2-2 draw, with Colombia levelling in the sixth minute of added time at the end of the 90.
However, Manuel Ugarte had other ideas, scoring in the 11th minute of added time to secure a last-gasp victory for Uruguay, with the result seeing them move into second spot in the table, only three points behind the leaders Argentina.
Marcelo Bielsa‘s side have won five, drawn four and lost two of their 11 games in the section, and they will enter this match full of confidence, having beaten Brazil in their last two match-ups.
The Sky Blues have won the World Cup on two previous occasions – in 1930 and 1950 – but they were eliminated in the quarter-finals of the 2022 tournament, so a big improvement will be expected in 2026.
Uruguay’s win over Colombia was actually their first victory since beating Canada on penalties in the third-placed playoff at the 2024 Copa America, and they have shared the spoils in four of their last six matches in all competitions.
Brazil World Cup Qualifying – South America form:
Brazil form (all competitions):
Uruguay World Cup Qualifying – South America form:
Uruguay form (all competitions):
Team News
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Brazil will be without the services of Vanderson on Tuesday, with the Monaco defender missing through suspension, while Guilherme Arana has pulled out of the squad due to an ankle problem.
Igor Jesus led the line against Venezuela, and the 23-year-old will be looking for his second international goal in this contest, while Vinicius Junior, Raphinha and Savinho are also set to feature in forward areas.
Brazil have a number of notable absentees for this match, with Alisson Becker, Eder Militao and Rodrygo also among those unavailable for selection through injury.
Vanderson is likely to be replaced by Danilo, with the 33-year-old in line to win his 65th cap in this contest.
As for Uruguay, head coach Bielsa could make just the one change from the side that took to the field for the first whistle against Colombia, with Ugarte potentially coming into the XI.
The Manchester United midfielder struck a late winner against Colombia last time out, and it is expected that he will come into the team against Brazil, but the Sky Blues might otherwise be unchanged.
Darwin Nunez has scored 13 times in 32 caps for his country, and the Liverpool forward will again lead the line, while there should be another start in a wide area for former Man United attacker Facundo Pellistri, who is now with Panathinaikos.
Brazil possible starting lineup:
Ederson; Danilo, Marquinhos, Gabriel, Abner; Gerson, Guimaraes; Savinho, Raphinha, Vinicius; I Jesus
Uruguay possible starting lineup:
Rochet; Nandez, Gimenez, Olivera, Saracchi; Ugarte, Valverde; Pellistri, Aguirre, Araujo; Nunez
We say: Brazil 1-1 Uruguay
This is a really tough match for Brazil, and we are finding it difficult to separate the two teams here; Brazil have been far from their best during this qualification campaign, and we are expecting Uruguay to be good enough for a point on Tuesday.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
