Italy vs Uruguay
International Friendly
Date: Wednesday, 7th June, 2017
Kick off at 19:45 UK Time
Venue: Stade Municipal du Ray, Nice, France
Italy weren’t taking any prisoners at the end of May as they hosted San Marino in the first of two international friendlies ahead of their World Cup qualifier at the weekend. They hammered the minnows 8-0 to make it six wins from their last eight games and extending their unbeaten streak to eight matches.
Their last defeat was in a friendly against France shortly after their Euro 2016 exit, but since then they have looked excellent. This run includes home draws against Spain and Germany, with their victories coming against largely weaker teams but including a 2-1 win in Holland.
Gian Piero Ventura has named a very experienced squad for these upcoming matches too, with the Juventus quartet of Gianluigi Buggon, Andrea Barzagli, Georgio Chiellini, and Leonardo Bonucci all present. Whether they will play after their Champions League disappointment is a question that needs to be asked, but they still have the likes of Daniele De Rossi, Andrea Belotti, Marco Verratti, and Antonio Candreva to call upon.
Uruguay aren’t in the best of shape either. They lost 3-1 away to Republic of Ireland on Sunday despite the hosts having a very inexperienced squad. They are without Luis Suarez, but with Edinson Cavani, Cristian Rodriguez, Arevalo Rios, and Alvaro Gonzalez all in the squad you would expect them to be doing better.
The defeat in Dublic made it four losses on the bounce for them, with Chile, Brazil, and Peru all beating them prior to Sunday’s disappointment. With a World Cup qualifier at home to Argentina coming up in August they will want to find a win on Wednesday.
The bookies are still giving Uruguay a chance despite their poor form though, and I think that’s leaving some value for us to grab. Italy have won six of their last eight games and are facing a Uruguay side who have lost four on the trot. The Italians might not be at home in Nice, but it’s a lot closer to Rome than it is to Montevideo. Odds of 6/5 for an Italy win look great value for money, so I’m backing that along with a 2-1 correct score predictions at 8/1.
Italy vs Uruguay: Head to Head Stats
It’s been 5 games going back to 1990 when Italy last beat Uruguay. Their last match was at the 2014 World Cup where Uruguay, in the group games, won 1-0. In the 9 matches played, 8 of them have seen under 2.5 goals.
Italy vs Uruguay: Prediction
This is Italy’s big chance to beat Uruguay for the first time in 27 years. However, this match is in France and even though it is close to the border, Italian fans have been known to not turn up even when in Italy. This match therefore will almost surely be attended by holiday makers, we can expect an exhibition type of game. The best bet therefore is go with under 2.5 goals.
