Russia v Uruguay

Russia have probably been the biggest surprise package of the tournament so far. Yes, they are hosts, and Yes, they have the boost of playing in front of passionate fans. But the fact remains they have performed really well in both their matches against Saudi Arabia anf Egypt so far.

The 5-0 probably flattered them significantly, and a 2-0 might have been a closer representation of the match. The 3-1 win over Egypt was better though.

What you can say about Russia for sure though is that they have committed themselves well, and their physical efforts have been enough to raise more than a few cynical eyebrows on Twitter regarding the distance covered by their players and a possible relationship to state-sponsored doping in the past. Whatever the truth, they have certainly put in the miles.

Uruguay pair Cavani and Suarez have yet to catch fire, but there is still time, and with odds of 13/8 now compared to the 5/4 they were for this fixture when the tournamnent started you could argue you are now getting some value.

Looking at the stats about efforts so far, we see Uruguay have had 27 shots over their two matches, eight on target and 12 off-target, and a further seven blocked. Russia look very similar - 24 shots, 10 on target, eight off target and six blocked.

Despite both sides being assured a place in the next round, this match has plenty of importance, so we should expect a usual tight style international match - especially with Godin and Jiminez at the back.

On balance, I'd favour Uruguay here, and Russia have probably been unusually clinical in their finishing - something unlikely to continue at the same rate. With that in mind, we'll back Uruguay to win to small stakes, and also cover the 1-0 and 2-0 to half stakes.

1pt Uruguay to beat Russia at 13/8

0.5pts Uruguay to win 1-0 at 6/1

0.5pts Uruguay to win 2-0 at 12/1

#Football