Uruguay v Chile: Low scoring draw could land

Uruguay v Chile: Low scoring draw could land

Two of the best teams in Group A meet when Uruguay take on Chile and Dan Fitch is expecting a tight match that could end in a draw...

Goals have dried up for Uruguay

Uruguay need to bounce back after suffering an opening game defeat to Argentina.

Argentina took an early lead through Guido Rodriguez and Uruguay were unable to find an equaliser. They were denied a possible penalty in an otherwise quiet first-half and didn't offer much more in the second, with the strike pairing of Edison Cavani and Luis Suarez showing their age, with their lack of mobility.

Uruguay's midfield is lacking in width and creativity. The team has now not scored in any of their last four games. Though Cavani and Suarez are both ageing, they have proved that they are still capable finishers at their respective clubs this season, if they get the service.

English born striker the hero for Chile

Chile fared better than Uruguay when they claimed a draw against Argentina and they have since followed that up with their first victory.

After coming from behind to draw 1-1 with Argentina, they then beat Bolivia 1-0, thanks to an early goal from the Blackburn striker Ben Brereton. The 22-year old from Stoke represented England at youth level, but recently switched his allegiance to Chile, whom he qualifies to play for through his mother. This was his second appearance for Chile, having come off the bench against Argentina and in his first start, scored the vital goal with a composed finish.

Chile are now top of Group A, ahead of Argentina by way of having a superior fair play record. Four points is probably already enough to see them make their way into the knockout stages, but they are in a position where they can look towards winning the group. Chile will need to win this game to stand a chance.

Low scoring draw likely

Uruguay are the 2.12 favourites to win, with Chile at 3.5 and the draw at 3.7.

That price looks way too short for Uruguay, who are without a win in four games (D2 L2). They did beat Chile when they last met in a World Cup qualifier back in October, but they had home advantage in that game and they didn't score the deciding goal until the 90th minute.

This should be a tight game and there should be value in backing the draw at 3.7, at least from a trading perspective. Under 2.5 goals looks like good value at 1.71, considering Uruguay's current problems with scoring goals.