Uruguay World Cup 2022 preview - prediction, fixtures, squad, star player

Barring a few fourth-placed finishes since lifting the trophy aloft in 1930 and again in 1950, deep runs at the World Cup have been difficult to come by for the South American nation, and it has been a similar story for La Celeste at the Copa America.

Three years after going out of the World Cup at the quarter-final stage in Russia, Uruguay were sent packing at the same point in the 2021 Copa America, with their iron grip on the continent's footballing landscape from decades ago no longer evident.

The world's 14th-ranked nation have also experienced their fair share of failed qualification periods down the years, but Diego Alonso has led his current crop to the finals for the fourth time in a row - not since 1978 had the two-time champions achieved that previously.

However, the stalwarts of the Celeste team in Luis Suarez, Edinson Cavani, Diego Godin and Fernando Muslera are all firmly in the twilight of their careers and may not get another opportunity to strut their stuff at the World Cup, so to underestimate a Uruguay squad with plenty of unfinished business to take care of would be a fatal mistake.

Here, Sports Mole previews Uruguay's chances at the 2022 World Cup.

GROUP

Uruguay cruised through their group in 2018 with three wins from three matches to their name, but they will struggle to replicate that against Portugal, Ghana and South Korea this time around in Group H.

Alonso's men first take to the field against South Korea on November 24 and then get the most difficult match out of the way four days later, locking horns with Portugal at the Lusail Iconic Stadium, which will also host the final.

On December 2, Uruguay will complete their Group H campaign versus Ghana at the Al Janoub Stadium, but whether they can progress as group winners again is another question entirely.

FIXTURES

November 24: Uruguay vs. South Korea (1pm, Education City Stadium, Al Rayyan)

November 28: Portugal vs. Uruguay (7pm, Lusail Iconic Stadium, Lusail)

December 2: Ghana vs. Uruguay (3pm, Al Janoub Stadium, Al Wakrah)

HOW THEY QUALIFIED

As Brazil and Argentina rode off into the sunset in CONMEBOL qualifying, Uruguay ended up as the best of the rest, sealing a third-placed finish with eight wins, four draws and six defeats to post 28 points.

It was truly a turbulent campaign from start to finish for La Celeste, who only won two of their first seven qualifying matches and went on a four-game winless streak between November 2020 and September 2021 - scoring just once in a 1-1 draw with Peru.

Consecutive home wins over Bolivia and Ecuador would restore order for Uruguay, but their fears of missing out on a place in Qatar became all the more real just 12 months ago.

Between October and November 2021, Argentina beat them twice, Brazil secured a 4-1 win and even a hapless Bolivia side ran out 3-0 victors over Uruguay, who parted ways with Oscar Tabarez not long after and tasked Diego Alonso with sealing a World Cup place.

That move would prove to be a master stroke from the powers-that-be, as in Alonso's first four games in charge, he led Uruguay to four successive wins over Paraguay, Venezuela, Peru and Chile to ensure they would be present in Qatar.

Uruguay were the only team in the CONMEBOL section to both score and concede the same number of goals - 22 flew in at each end - but that represents their lowest tally at the correct end of the pitch since also notching up 22 in 2002 qualifying.

RECENT FORM

Since ending their World Cup qualification campaign on the highest of highs, Uruguay have only taken part in friendly matches to prepare for the winter tournament, and Alonso has ensured that his side will head to Qatar with the wind in their sails.

Uruguay stayed local to clash with Mexico and the United States in their first two June fixtures, beating the former 3-0 thanks to a Cavani brace before their five-game winning run was ended in a goalless draw with the USA.

Alonso's side were then due to face Jamaica, but the Reggae Boyz's CONCACAF Nations League commitments forced the cancellation of a fixture, as Panama instead visited Uruguay only to suffer a 5-0 defeat.

Prior to September's friendlies, Uruguay had won six and drawn one of their seven fixtures in 2022 - scoring 16 goals, keeping five straight clean sheets and conceding just one goal - but a trip to face Iran in Austria ended that streak as Mehdi Taremi scored the only goal of the game for Team Melli.

However, La Celeste would quickly dust themselves down and return to form with a 2-0 win over Canada in Slovakia, and Alonso's side must now demonstrate that they are capable of replicating such friendly form on the biggest international stage.

SQUAD

Goalkeepers: Fernando Muslera (Galatasaray), Sergio Rochet (Nacional), Sebastian Sosa (Independiente)

Defenders: Diego Godin (Velez Sarsfield), Jose Gimenez (Atletico Madrid), Martin Caceres (LA Galaxy), Sebastian Coates (Sporting Lisbon), Matias Vina (Roma), Ronald Araujo (Barcelona), Guillermo Varela (Flamengo), Mathias Olivera (Napoli), Jose Luis Rodriguez (Nacional)

Midfielders: Matias Vecino (Lazio), Rodrigo Bentancur (Tottenham Hotspur), Federico Valverde (Real Madrid), Giorgian de Arrascaeta (Flamengo), Lucas Torreira (Galatasaray), Nicolas de la Cruz (River Plate), Manuel Ugarte (Sporting)

Forwards: Luis Suarez (Nacional), Edinson Cavani (Valencia), Maxi Gomez (Trabzonspor), Darwin Nunez (Liverpool), Facundo Torres (Orlando City), Facundo Pellistri (Manchester United), Agustin Canobbio (Athletico Paranaense)

STAR PLAYER - FEDERICO VALVERDE

Luis Suarez, Edinson Cavani and Darwin Nunez may be some of the household names in this Uruguayan side, as well as the timeless Diego Godin, but Federico Valverde has emerged as one of the planet's standout midfielders in the past few months.

Prior to winning La Liga and the Champions League last year, Valverde was perhaps best known for his red-card worthy challenge on Alvaro Morata to help Los Blancos win the 2020 Supercopa de Espana, but the versatile 24-year-old has now added goals to his game in an eye-catching start to the 2022-23 season.

Valverde has already scored eight goals and set up four more for Los Blancos this term, often keeping Rodrygo and Marco Asensio at bay out wide, and he enters the World Cup having notched up four times in 44 senior appearances for Uruguay.

The midfielder recently made headlines after a wild attempt on goal against Rayo Vallecano ended with the ball landing on someone's balcony, but he will now aspire to have tongues wagging for the right reasons as he seeks to translate his marvellous domestic form into international stardom.

MANAGER - DIEGO ALONSO

When it comes to a managerial baptism of fire, Uruguayan novice Diego Alonso - who will travel to Qatar as one of the youngest managers at the World Cup - has already experienced the true definition of that, guiding Uruguay out of the CONMEBOL doldrums after a previously disastrous qualifying period.

The 47-year-old made seven appearances for Uruguay in his playing days and has coincidentally won the same number of games at the helm in only nine games, and stepping into the shoes of wily veteran Oscar Tabarez would hardly be a cakewalk.

Tabarez spent 15 years in charge of Uruguay before passing the torch over to Alonso, who successfully led Uruguay to the 2022 World Cup after hopping across numerous American clubs in his earliest days of management.

Formerly in charge of the likes of Penarol, Monterrey, Pachuca and Inter Miami - leaving the MLS outfit in January 2021 after just over a year in charge - Alonso has two CONCACAF Champions League trophies in his personal cabinet and now prepares for the biggest test of his fledgling managerial credentials yet.

WORLD CUP RECORD

Best finish: Winners (1930, 1950)

On the left of the picture above is the late Alcides Ghiggia, the last surviving member of Uruguay's 1950 World Cup squad and one of only a few men from the nation who knows what it feels like to win it all.

La Celeste were awarded hosting rights for the first-ever World Cup in 1930 to celebrate the centenary of their constitution, and most football fans can tell you that Uruguay won the inaugural edition before boycotting the 1934 and 1938 editions.

Uruguay had not lost their golden touch upon their return in 1950 as they won the World Cup for a second time - beating Brazil 2-1 in the final - but all they have had to show for their efforts in the last 72 years has been three fourth-placed finishes.

Uruguay reached the semi-finals as defending champions in 1954 before repeating the feat in 1970 and 2010, but they had the infamous Luis Suarez handball against Ghana to thank for the latter achievement before losing to the Netherlands.

A last-16 exit in 2014 preceded a quarter-final departure in 2018 for Uruguay, who also failed to qualify in 1978, 1982, 1994, 1998 and most recently 2006.

PREDICTION

Uruguay are sure to push Portugal all the way in Group H as they attempt to emulate the luminaries of old, but an ageing attack and an inconsistent Nunez could cost the two-time champions in their bid to finish top of the section.

A second-placed finish in the group would force Uruguay to take on the winners of Group G in the last 16, which would surely be Brazil, and there should only be one winner in that South American showdown.

VERDICT: Last 16