Colombia vs Uruguay: Predicted lineup, injury news, head-to-head, telecast

2026 CONMEBOL World Cup Qualifiers are underway

Uruguay will face Colombia in Barranquilla this Thursday in the third round of South American World Cup 2026 qualifiers. Colombia has started strong with four points from two games, while Uruguay, after winning their first match, suffered a defeat to Ecuador in their second outing.

Colombia is determined to make a comeback in the World Cup after missing the last one in Qatar. They have been on an unbeaten streak since March 2022, winning seven out of nine friendlies. Nestor Lorenzo took charge of Colombia last July, and they began the qualifiers with a win against Venezuela and a draw in Chile. With four points from two games and a solid unbeaten run, they aim to maintain their momentum in this round. 

Uruguay, on the other hand, aims to secure their fifth consecutive World Cup appearance, having fallen short in the 2022 World Cup, finishing third in the group. Under the new management of Marcelo Bielsa, they kicked off with wins in friendlies and a 3-1 victory against Chile in their first qualifier. However, they faced a setback with a loss to Ecuador in their second game. 

Now, Uruguay is set to engage in crucial matches against Colombia and Brazil, seeking to gain an early advantage in the qualification campaign.

Kick-off

Thursday, 12th October, 2023, 9:30 PM UK 

Friday, 13th October, 2023, 2:00 AM IST

Location: Estadio Metropolitano Roberto Melendez

Form

Colombia (in all competitions): D-W-W-W-W-D

Uruguay (in all competitions): D-W-W-W-W-L

Players to watch

Luis Diaz (Colombia)

Colombia’s camp will keep their eyes tugged on Liverpool’ Luis Diaz, who is in hot form. He has 4 G/A, a ‘wrongly disallowed goal’, and is one of the players with highly successful dribbles in the final third of the opposition, in just 10 games for the Reds so far. Diaz hopes to bring a similar passion when he represents his National side in the all-important qualifier against Uruguay.

Federico Valverde (Uruguay)

Uruguay and Real Madrid must be on cloud 9. Having Fede Valverde at the heart of your midfield is aboon, the boy is an engine. A perfect definition of box-to-box, but one who can be a #10 and/or be a #6 depending on the situation of the game. Against Chile, he even brought out his A-game when he scored a goal. It will be interesting to see if he can replicate the same on Thursday. 

Match Facts

• Between June 2022 to June 2023, Colombia is on a 9-game unbeaten run. Now, unbeaten in 2 games in the qualifiers as well.
• If Uruguay qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup then it will be their 5th consecutive qualification.

Injury and team news

There is not much change to expect from Colombia’s starting XI. Defensively, however, they might run short with Yerry Mina, Daniel Munoz, and Jhon Lucumi all ruled out due to injuries. Other than that Midfielders James Rodriguez (captain), Uribe, and Barrios are all set to be deployed. 

Elsewhere, in the Uruguay camp, the visitors will head in with a new-look squad. They will be the experience of  Diego Godin, Jose Gimenez, Martin Caceres, and Sebastian Coates on the pitch, as with the solidity in between the sticks from veteran goalkeeper Fernando Muslera. Further, talismanic forwards Luis Suarez and Edinson Cavani, who sit first and second respectively in their all-time scoring charts, will also be sidelined. 

Meanwhile, Bielsa will have the usual quality at his disposal from Darwin Nunez being ready to fire, to Ugarte, Valverde, and Araujo all waiting to give their all.

Head-to-head

Matches: 44

Colombia: 20

Uruguay: 14

Draws: 10

Predicted lineup for Colombia vs Uruguay

Colombia Predicted lineup (4-3-3):

Vargas; Arias, Sanchez, Cuesta, Machado; Uribe, Rodriguez, Barrios; Sinisterra, Borre, Diaz

Uruguay Predicted lineup (4-2-3-1):

Rochet; Araujo, Vina, Caceres, Piquerez; Valverde, Ugarte; Canobbio, De La Cruz, Pellistri; Nunez

Match prediction

Colombia's unbeaten streak looks hardly stoppable right now, and considering Uruguay's 2-1 loss against Ecuador in the last game they seem down on confidence. Battle of wits might be on a show where we predict Colombia to come out victorious.

Prediction: Colombia 2 - 1 Uruguay

Telecast details

India: FanCode

UK: CONMEBOL TV

USA: Vix, Telemundo, Fubo, Fanatiz, Universo

Nigeria: FIFA+