The Aviva Stadium in Dublin will host a friendly match between Ireland and Uruguay on June 4. Both teams are well positioned to qualify for the next world cup, with Uruguay almost qualified and Ireland sharing first place in their group with Serbia.
After a loss against Mexico (3-1), Martin O’Neill will be making some major changes to the Irish lineup. Experienced players like John O’Shea, Robbie Brady, Glenn Wheland and Jon Walters will likely feature. O’Neill is pleased to have a strong opponent for this match, saying that this kind of encounter will be a good test for the team before their crucial match with Austria on June 11.
The Mexico team managed by Oscar Tabarez, will have a more traditional lineup. The main issues are the absence of Luis Suárez and Diego Godín due to injury. We can expect young players to gain some play time in this game, and Cavani as the main striker. Uruguay needs these two friendly matches, to fine tune as their key encounter against Argentina will take place in August.
Even without some key players, Uruguay are favourites for this match. The bookies offer odds of 6/4 for the win. However, with some experienced players present for the home team, especially in defense, a draw could also result if the encounter is tight. However, at 5/4, a match with three goals seems like a viable choice due to the nature of the encounter and the attacking force that Uruguay have, even without Suárez.