World Cup Qualifying: Colombia vs Uruguay preview

Colombia host Uruguay on Tuesday in one of the biggest matches of the South American section of World Cup qualifying. The reverse fixture, played in October 2015, was won comfortably by Uruguay, it ended 3-0 and it signalled the start of a solid campaign for Luis Suarez and his team-mates. At the 2014 World Cup Colombia beat Uruguay 2-0 to advance to the quarter-finals, with a pair of goals from James Rodriguez. Uruguay have not won on Colombian soil since 2008. Colombia have had a decent campaign so far, they are fourth in the group after five wins, a draw and three losses. In fact, they managed to beat most of the lower ranked teams but lost to all their top rivals: Uruguay, Argentina and Brazil. Last week they secured all three points with a 1-0 victory in Paraguay thanks to a late goal from Edwin Cardona. Star midfielder James Rodriguez did not play in that match due to a calf injury and he might miss out on the Uruguay clash as well. Uruguay are leading the South American qualification group after having secured six wins and a draw and losing just two matches. Their first loss was a surprising one in Ecuador at the start of the campaign, but then they recovered very well and even managed to secure a 2-2 draw in Brazil. Last week they eased past Venezuela 3-0, with Edinson Cavani bagging the last two goals. Head coach Oscar Tabarez doesn't have any injury concerns ahead of this match, so he will probably stick to the same eleven that defeated Venezuela. Probable line-ups: Colombia: Ospina - Arias, J. Murillo, O. Murillo, Diaz - Aguilar, Sanchez - Cuadrado, Cardona, Muriel - Bacca Uruguay: Muslera - Corujo, Coates, Godin, Silva - Sanchez, Lodeiro, Rios, Rodriguez - Cavani, Suarez My prediction: Colombia to win 1-0. Here are the odds for the match at Bet365: Colombia win - 2.00 Draw - 3.50 Uruguay win - 3.60