On November 16, 2023, at 08:00 China Time, the World Cup South American Qualifiers Group A will see Uruguay face off against Colombia.
This match is a rematch of the Copa America semifinal this summer, where Colombia won 1-0. Since their elimination by Colombia, Uruguay has failed to win any of their last four qualifiers and has not scored a single goal. Three of these matches ended in 0-0 draws, while the remaining one was a 0-1 away loss to Peru.
As for Colombia, they lost their first match of the October international break 0-1 to Bolivia. This was their first loss in 90 minutes under Nestor Lorenzo, ending their 31-match unbeaten run. A few days later, Colombia regained their confidence with a 4-0 home win over Chile, where Diaz, John Duran, and James Rodriguez were in top form. This victory secured their second place, just 3 points behind leaders Argentina and 7 points ahead of Bolivia, who hold the playoff spot. After missing the 2022 World Cup, Colombia now has a chance to return to the World Cup finals.
In their last three encounters with Uruguay, Colombia has maintained an unbeaten record with 1 win and 2 draws. However, prior to that, they had failed to beat Uruguay in six attempts (2 draws, 4 losses). For Colombia, this will be another tough away test, as their only win in Uruguay dates back to 1973.
In terms of injuries and suspensions, Nunez is back from suspension, but he remains one of seven players who will be suspended if they receive a yellow card in this match, along with Ugarte, Bueno, Nandez, and Gimenez.
For Colombia, they have lost Luis Sinisterra, who withdrew due to injury, a significant blow as he scored and assisted in the match against Chile. Juventus full-back Juan Cuadrado tore his anterior cruciate ligament shortly after joining up with the national team and has also been ruled out. Additionally, Jefferson Lerma and Arthur Asprilla are currently sidelined with injuries.
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