Will Suarez bring the party or will Pirlo control the match? After both teams suffered a tough loss to the underdog Costa Rica, Italy and Uruguay will face off in a do-or-die match. Winner will advance to the round of 16.
After defeating England 2-1 thanks to a masterful performance by Andrea Pirlo, Italy got humbled by Los Ticos 1-0 thanks to a header by Bryan Ruiz. Although Italy visibly dominated possession, Costa Rica boasted more quality opportunities at goal and never gave Italy a good luck at the net. Costa Rica’s counter attacking football threw Italy out of their element.
Uruguay suffered a discouraging 3-1 loss to Costa Rica in the opening match, but came back against England 2-1 thanks to a brilliant performance by Luis Suarez. Suarez, who was recovering from his knee surgery during the match against Costa Rica, came back to the pitch against England despite feeling 75% percent fit. Yet his presence warranted a party for Uruguay as he scored two goals on the English to keep Uruguay’s hopes of advancing alive.
Despite having the same amount of points at three apiece, Italys holds a slight advantage via goal differential. If Italy and Uruguay were to tie, Italy would advance alongside Costa Rica. Still, given the nature of Uruguay’s style of play, it’s unlikely La Celeste would allow Italy to get away with holding the ball. This match has the makings to be an exciting show for football fans. Tune in to this match, for it most certainly will be a battle.
"Projected Starting XIItaly: Buffon, Abate, Barzagli, Chiellini, Bonucci, Pirlo, De Rossi, Motta, Candreva, Marchisio, BalotelliUruguay: Muslera, Caceres, Jimenez, Godin, Pereira, Gonzalez, Arevalo, Rodriguez, Lodeiro, Suarez, Cavani"
Keys for Italy
– Defensive Discipline is a must. In case Italy doesn’t know, Uruguay has the best forward in the world. If Italy repeats the same performance that they did against Costa Rica, they’ll pay dearly for it surely won’t be a 1-0 defeat.
– Slow the tempo. With the Architect on the pitch, Italy should allow Pirlo alongside De Rossi have full control of the game and not feel the pressure when Uruguay starts pressing.
– Start someone else besides Balotelli…a athletic marvel like him should be the energy man off the bench. Immobile, who is disciplined with his runs, would be a better option.
Keys for Uruguay
– Score early, force Italy to tire themselves out. Once the pressure is on the Italians to score, they’ll push to bring the ball up aggressively and make some errors on the offensive end. Eventually physical fatigue will consume the Italians as they begin to make mental mistakes on the ball.
– Play physically. It’s all part of tiring out this Italian squad.
– Push the tempo. Italy lacks the speed to keep up with Uruguay if La Celeste pushes forward with their midfield and play with pace.
Key Battles of the Match
– Suarez vs Chiellini – Given Suarez’s habit of diving and Chiellii’s aggressive nature, there’s a good chance Uruguay could be awarded a penalty. Chiellini will have a lot to worry about in this match.
– Alvaro Gonzalez vs Andrea Pirlo – Gonzalez should be familiar with most of the Italian squad, given that he plays for Lazio in the Serie A. That doesn’t mean he’s capable of stopping all of them, considering that he’ll be entrusted to disrupt Andrea Pirlo. Although Pirlo is old, he’s simply too composed on and off the ball that nothing can phase him. Not even some midfielder from Lazio will come close to making him hesitate.
– Balotelli vs Caceres + Jimenez – Super Mario is capable of disrupting a backline with his sheer athleticism alone, but his weakness was made evident against Costa Rica. His poor awareness and discipline left him offsides quite too often, causing him to get more frustrated and chippy as the match went on. Uruguay can’t match him physically, but the center backs must cleverly out-wit the Italian striker if they want to find any success in defending him.
"Staff Writer PredictionsYoung Kim: 1-0 Uruguay. Uruguay’s midfield aren’t organized or talented enough to outplay a clever Italian side, but the presence of Suarez is enough to warrant them a goal. As seen in the Costa Rica vs Italy match, the blueprint of how to disrupt Pirlo and keep Balotelli quiet was made obvious. Uruguay are more than capable of following Los Tico’s blueprint and will frustrate Italy to another goalless performance."