Colombian minimalism again?

The World Cup qualifiers for the 2026 tournament in the USA and Mexico are already underway. In South America, the first match days have already been played. Colombia and Uruguay are two teams with ambitions to reach the finals.

And also the quality. Colombia vs Uruguay prediction from bookmakers indicates a favorite role for the home side, who have been very compact so far and want to be and mostly are a very unpleasant team to play against.

It could be a very even duel with both teams lurking for mistakes from their counterparts. Our Colombia vs Uruguay tip is that the home side will not lose and will score less than 3.5 goals.

Colombia – statistics & current form

Colombia is currently 16th in the FIFA world rankings, which is a relatively clear indication of the qualities the team brings to the table. Coach Nestor Lorenzo can be described with a clear conscience as a defensive and compact fanatic who has a clear plan for his team. A 0-0 draw against Chile in the last international match was clear proof that this approach works.

You’d rather take a goalless draw than lose a game because the team takes too many risks. That’s the credo of this team. Four points from the first two qualifying games show that this can work. A defense with players like Davinson Sanchez and Yerri Mina also has a lot to offer individually. Two games, 1:0 goals: No one should expect a great spectacle from Colombia.

Colombia vs Uruguay odds show that the home side will go into this match slightly favored. Colombia can wear down an opponent, will disrupt the flow of the game several times and will try to intersperse fouls once in a while. This is the typical game of the home side, you have to be prepared for that as an opponent.

Colombia: Compactness leads to success

The Colombians don’t just have some good players in the squad defensively, though. James Rodriguez is still playing for the national team, the same goes for Juan Cuadrado. Luis Sinisterra, Luis Diaz and Rafael Borré are all very good offensive players who can give the team a lot. Colombia’s streak on the road is impressive, as they have not lost any of their last 13 international matches. The South Americans have even won eleven of them.

Among them also against bigger nations like Germany. In five of seven games in the calendar year 2023 here the team the zero in the defense, which again clearly underpins the good defensive work. The only goals conceded were against Japan and South Korea in the games in March. This shows very well that the hosts can implement their strategy in many games.

In any case, the Colombians will not make any special adjustments and will try to play the way that suits their nature. That’s why, before the Colombia vs Uruguay match, our prediction is that the home side will not lose and will score less than 3.5 goals.

Predicted lineup of Colombia:
Vargas – Arias, Sanchez, Cuesta, Machado – Barrios, Uribe, Carrascal – Sinisterra, Luis Diaz, Borré

Uruguay – statistics & current form

Uruguay can also boast a good place in the FIFA world rankings. The team is in 17th place, has recently played quite decent again and again. There is still a lot of quality, even if the Uruguayans have been better here and there in recent years. But that doesn’t change their ambitions to qualify for the 2026 World Cup, especially since one or two young players can and will take a step forward during that period.

Individually, Uruguay certainly has similar prerequisites to Colombia. Barca defender Araujo, Napoli left-back Olivera, midfielders Ugarte (PSG) and Valverde (Real Madrid), and Darwin Nunez (Liverpool) lead the team. There are slight problems in one or the other position.

The coach, Marcelo Bielsa, is also interesting in any case. His name is associated with strategic, high-quality soccer, and he wants to take the team to a new level. The last international match, a narrow defeat away to Ecuador, should be quickly put behind them. Uruguay must become even more consistent, that’s the next goal.

Away there is a need to catch up

Especially away from home, Uruguay still needs to improve. Away from home, there is a lot of catching up to do, only one of the last four games away from home was won. On the other hand, Uruguay’s overall record looks very good, winning four of the last five games. However, compared to Colombia, the defense is more vulnerable, with only one of six international matches in 2023 resulting in a zero.

Even though Uruguay is more active offensively than Colombia, Colombia vs Uruguay betting odds do not indicate that bookmakers expect a game in which many goals will be scored. On the contrary, it is more likely that the home side will play a controlled game, which suggests that not much will happen in front of the goals. Also, no team is under great pressure to win.

Because the hosts have made a good impression in their home games so far, our value tip before the Colombia vs Uruguay match is that the hosts will win the match.

Predicted lineup of Uruguay:
No available information.

Colombia – Uruguay Direct comparison / H2H record

44 matches both have played against each other so far. With 20 wins, Uruguay has an advantage in the direct comparison, Colombia comes to twelve won duels so far. The two sides have drawn eleven times. Uruguay has also not lost the last four direct duels.

Colombia – Uruguay bet

Colombia will be looking for a win to put them very high up the World Cup Quali table in South America early on. The home side are especially defensively very difficult to overcome.

One of our predictions for the match between Colombia and Uruguay is that the home side will not lose and will score less than 3.5 goals.