The pick of the matches when Group H of the FIFA World Cup concludes on Friday afternoon is the one which sees Ghana taking on Uruguay. This would have been the pick of the matches without a competitive edge but it is even more so with both teams potentially needing to win.
Ghana will be through with a draw in this match if South Korea do not beat Portugal. Uruguay have to win the game and then they have to hope that South Korea do not beat Portugal if they are to move into the round of 16.
Where to watch
This grudge match can be watched on the BBC 2 channel for those in the UK. The lesser build-up to this one begins at 2.45pm with the kick off coming at 3pm.
Ghana
I have to admit I got Ghana completely wrong in this tournament. I thought with Chris Hughton in their coaching staff and their indifferent Africa Cup of Nations run at the beginning of the year that they would be one of the poorer teams at the World Cup. The opposite has been true. They have been one of the better teams to watch. Their defensive vulnerability means that they need to put more emphasis into their attacking play and that was rewarded with a win over South Korea in their previous match.
We shouldn’t forget that Ghana put the wind up Portugal in their opening match as well so there is a real threat in this Ghanaian outfit. They are going to need to defend well here because they are up against a side with dangerous players in it. The other thing they are going to need to do is keep their heads. We all know this is an emotional match for Ghana after what happened between these two in 2010 but it is no use them doing something stupid that harms their chances.
Uruguay
A lot more was expected of Uruguay than we have seen from them in the tournament to date. They have one last chance to show everyone their worth. Their first goal of the competition would be the bare minimum they will be looking to deliver here. Despite not scoring in their opening two matches, a win here would give them every chance of progressing to the next stage. To get that they are clearly going to have to score and the longer they go without scoring the more risks they will need to take.
We’ve generally seen their attacking play look better than their output in fairness. They have hit the woodwork three times in their opening two matches so this has clearly been a tournament of fine margins for the South American side. They can also consider themselves unfortunate that they gave a penalty away against Portugal when they were well on top. Ultimately though, the time has come for them to be clinical with their chances and not do what Belgium and Denmark have done before them.
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Team News
Ghana might well go in with the same side which they used to beat South Korea in their previous match, although Jordan Ayew could be sat down if they decide they want more protection in the middle of the park in a game where a draw could be enough.
Uruguay remain without Ronald Araujo but he might not have played anyway as Diego Alonso could be set to go in with a more attacking line-up given that his team have to win. Luis Suarez was put in front of the media on Thursday which suggests his confrontational figure will start the game.
Betting
I think we’re set up for goals in this game as well, much like we were in the one between Japan and Spain on Thursday. Uruguay have to score in this game else they are out of the tournament but we can be pretty safe that Ghana aren’t playing for anything but a win in this match regardless of the group situation because 2010 still hurts so much. That 2010 beef was egged on again on Thursday when Luis Suarez claimed he doesn’t apologise for what he did, not that he should do. We know the Ghana defence isn’t their forte so they are going to have to go after Uruguay here. If Ghana take the lead Uruguay need two goals to stay in the tournament. If Uruguay lead Ghana will have to score so just like the Ecuador vs Senegal game at the beginning of this round of games, we should see goals come automatically unless the attacking players fluff their lines in front of goal.
I’ll also have a small play on there being a red card in this one. Amazingly we’ve only seen one player dismissed in this World Cup to date so we are due another red card and the historical element to this match could very well deliver it. These two nations don’t get along and you would imagine Suarez being on the pitch will antagonise Ghana. Both teams will be desperate to win this game, not just to stay in the competition but to get one over the other and if one of them is losing late on them they are likely to be frustrated and emotion might come to the fore. Tackles are going to rein in throughout this one but especially if a team gets desperate or frustrated so a small play on a red card makes sense.
Tips
Back Over 2.5 goals for a 3/10 stake at 2.00 with BetVictor
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Back Red card to be shown for a 1/10 stake at 4.33 with William Hill
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