After earning a famous draw against Spain in their opening game, Cape Verde continue their 2026 World Cup campaign against another heavyweight in Uruguay on Sunday at 11pm (UK time).
In their first ever World Cup match, the Blue Sharks shocked the world by holding pre-tournament favourites Spain to a goalless draw. 40 year old goalkeeper Vozinha and Irish-born defender Pico Lopes stole all of the headlines with their heroics as la Roja were left frustrated in Atlanta.
Now, they’ll face another strong opponent in the form of Conmebol outfit Uruguay. La Celeste struggled in their opening game though, being held to a 1-1 draw by Saudi Arabia. They’ll be expecting to improve here to take control of Group H with three vital points.
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Uruguay vs Cape Verde team news
Uruguay team news
The major question for Uruguay in the lead-up to this game is whether Marcelo Bielsa will decide to give striker Darwin Nunez a second chance to impress.
Having clocked up only eight touches in the first-half, Nunez was hooked during the break against Saudi Arabia. Bielsa introduced Agustin Canobbio and Juan Manuel Sanabria at half-time in a move that gave Uruguay much more dynamism in the second half of that game, so expect both players to start against Cape Verde.
There could be a return to the starting line-up for Jose Maria Gimenez. The Uruguay skipper was on the bench against the Green Falcons but wasn’t called into action as he continues to recover from an ankle injury. If he does start, it will be a 100th cap for the Atletico Madrid centre-back.
He will be without one of his regular defensive team-mates in Ronald Araujo though. The Barcelona man suffered a muscle tear in the lead-up to the tournament and isn’t expected to return until the knock-out stages — should la Celeste make it that far.
Giorgian de Arrascaeta is another first-choice player who didn’t feature against Saudi Arabia. His creativity was missed dearly and if he has fully recovered from the muscle injury that kept him out, Bielsa will bring him in from the start.
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Cape Verde team news
Where Uruguay may be set to ring the changes, Cape Verde will surely continue with the same set-up that brought them unexpected success against Spain in their opening game.
The stars of the show were 40 year old goalkeeper Vozinha and the two centre-backs Diney Borges and Pico Lopes, who pulled off a serious of dramatic blocks and interceptions in a defensive performance for the ages. All three will surely continue here.
Kevin Pina will again be tasked with screening the back four while winger Jovane Cabral of Portuguese outfit Estrela will offer a threat on the counter attack.
After that famous draw against Spain, the Blue Sharks will have to summon a similar amount of strength and concentration in order to produce a similar result here. In reality, they know their best chance of progression could come from beating Saudi Arabia in their third and final group game.
Uruguay vs Cape Verde predicted lineups
Uruguay (4-2-3-1): Muslera; Varela, Gimenez, Caceres, Olivera; Ugarte, Bentancur; Canobbio, Valverde, Araujo; Vinaz
Cape Verde (4-1-4-1): Vozinha; Moreira, Lopes, Borges, Cabral; Pina; Mendes, Duarte, Monteiro, Cabral; Livramento
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