Uruguay take on Japan in Porto Alegre following very contrasting opening Copa America matches.
The two teams were on opposite ends of a 4-0 result in round one, with Uruguay beating Ecuador and Japan losing to Chile.
It took Uruguay just 6 minutes to open their Copa America 2019 account; Nicolas Lodeiro firing home from close range.
PSG striker Edinson Cavani then made it 2-0 with an acrobatic effort before Luis Suarez converted a corner, extending Uruguay’s advantage before half-time. An Arturo Mina own goal in the second half sealed a commanding win for Uruguay.
#URUECU | Gol de @Uruguay, Edinson Cavani.32´ Uruguay 2-0 Ecuador #ElEquipoQueNosUne pic.twitter.com/4SaqThO3sJ— Selección Uruguaya (@Uruguay) June 16, 2019
#URUECU | Gol de @Uruguay, Edinson Cavani.32´ Uruguay 2-0 Ecuador #ElEquipoQueNosUne pic.twitter.com/4SaqThO3sJ
They completely dominated the match with 61% possession and 16 goal attempts to Ecuador’s 2. This kind of performance reiterates Uruguay’s status as one of the continent’s strongest teams and one of the favorites to win the tournament.
On the other hand, Japan couldn’t have imagined a poorer start. The guest nation were thrashed by the 2015 and 2016 champions Chile and now have a mountain to climb if they are to qualify from Group C.
They have brought a very young and inexperienced squad to Brazil and many of their players looked out of their depth throughout their opening match.
Japan had multiple chances to score against Chile and registered 13 goal attempts against the holders. 18-year-old forward Takefusa Kubo, recently signed by Real Madrid, missed a couple of golden opportunities to get his side back into the game.
They are in danger of being on the wrong end of another thrashing against Uruguay and will need to be perform a lot better if they are to get anything from the match.
Japan will take hope from the most recent meeting between the two teams where they beat Uruguay 4-3 in a friendly game in 2018.
With that being said, Uruguay will be distinctly more motivated for this match and will be brimming with confidence after their opening game. Japan will know that it won’t be anywhere as easy as their last meeting.
🛩 @Uruguay llegó a Porto Alegre y se traslada al hotel Deville Prime. La Celeste se enfrenta el próximo jueves a las 20 h a Japón en el Arena de Gremio. pic.twitter.com/TTzfaGMu4M— Selección Uruguaya (@Uruguay) June 17, 2019
🛩 @Uruguay llegó a Porto Alegre y se traslada al hotel Deville Prime. La Celeste se enfrenta el próximo jueves a las 20 h a Japón en el Arena de Gremio. pic.twitter.com/TTzfaGMu4M
Uruguay are the most successful country in the history of the competition and are searching for their sixteenth Copa America title this year. Their squad is littered with world-class talent and they have more than enough quality to beat Japan.
Forebet predicts a comfortable win for Uruguay and a clean sheet to boot.