Will Uruguay Deny Italy a Place in the Last 16: Fresh World Cup Betting Offers

Italy prepare to take on Uruguay in the last Group of Death match to decide who will qualify for the last 16.

Well, Spain are officially out of the competition, even though they beat Australia 3-0 yesterday, sending the Aussies packing too. Netherlands took the top spot after securing a win over Chile. Brazil came through to beat resilient Cameroon, and Mexico overpowered Croatia sending their coach on a happy dancing spree. So the first pairs in the last 16 have been decided: Brazil v Chile, Netherlands v Mexico.

But tonight brings more hot fixtures, and the biggest questions for punters at online sportsbooks in Italy, is whether the Azzurri can secure their knockout place against Uruguay. Italy need to win or draw in order to go through, Luis Suarez and Co can only qualify with a win, so expect a great battle tonight.

The Group of Death standings

Naturally, before the start of the World Cup everyone was calling Group D the Group of Death, and it fully lived up to the expectations. England have already lost chances to qualify after losing to both Italy and Uruguay.

Despite all the predictions and bets placed under Italian gambling laws, Costa Rica are now leading the group and have a very good shot at winning it with 1.14 odds, compared to the lines of 9.00 and 13.00 for Italy and Uruguay respectively.

Italy v Uruguay match trivia

The upcoming Italy v Uruguay clash is shaping up to be not only the biggest match of the evening, but perhaps the biggest fixture of the group stage. Staying alive in the tournament is at stake here, and of course those who bet on sports in Italy understand this very well.

Italy and Uruguay will contest the last remaining qualifying spot in Group D
 
• Online sportsbooks in Italy are ready for extensive betting action

• Costa Rica will most probably win the Group of Death

• Italy will be content with a draw, whereas Uruguay need to win

Italy will be facing Uruguay after a very disappointing loss to Costa Rica, wasting too many chances and not being very aggressive at the front. They’ve also lost Daniele de Rossi to injury, which will certainly add to their problems.

Italy’s manager, Cesare Prandelli, is confident the Azzuri will fully recover from the loss and will approach the Uruguay game as a deciding one. Some changes to the line-up are expected, giving the team a more attaching edge. Ciro Immobile from Borussia is expected to replace or join Mario Balotelli, who has been missing too many chances so far.

As for Uruguay, they are entering the clash with Italy on a high note, after two Luis Suarez’ goals allowed them to beat England. Naturally, Uruguay’s hopes in the fixture against the Azzurri will once again lie with the Liverpool striker, who’s back in action only four weeks after a knee surgery.

Oscar Tabarez’ and his men are clear on the task: three points or they can pack their bags. Maxi Pereira returns after serving one-match suspension following a red card against Costa Rica. But it’s still Suarez who’s favored to score first for Uruguay with 6.00 odds from Bet365, followed by a line of 7.50 for Edinson Cavani.

Quotes from the managers

Uruguay’s coach, Oscar Tabarez, had the following comments: “We have been able to prove that we can fight and we are alive. After this victory, of course our intention will be to win against Italy. Today, we have been able to apply what we have learned and trained to do.”

He added: “We started well in the second half and we managed to score after England were playing well. For a moment, we were 1-1 and that was a difficult situation because England scored, but we were able to recover and win the game.”

Italian manager, Cesare Prandelli, shared with the media: “We knew this would be a particularly tough group. We will try to recover all our energy for the Uruguay game. We didn’t get our tactics wrong. They were very, very aggressive and we were trying to find different ways into the game but we didn’t manage it. It has been a bad loss. We have another game to play and clearly the approach must be different than this.”

Betting odds for the game and the teams’ form

Online sportsbooks just like football fans find it extremely difficult to choose the winning side for this game, giving a tiny advantage to Italy. The Azzurri got 2.70 line, while Uruguay received 2.75 odds. The draw is less likely and will pay at 3.40.

The correct score is not easier to predict: 1-1 tie got most votes and will pay at 6.00, the winning scores will pay equally for either of the teams. This way 1-0 win for either of the teams pays at 8.50 odds, 2-0 success brings 13.00 payout, and 2-1 result gives a line of 10.00.

Italy boast the following results in the last five matches: D D W W L with the last game ending in 0-1 loss to Costa Rica, while Uruguay are bit better in this respect: D W W L W, beating England 2-1 in their last game.

There’s only one injury for Italy: Daniele de Rossi, and there are no other losses to suspensions or otherwise. The most probable line-up for the Azzurri will be: Buffon, Barzagli, Verratti, Bonucci, Darmian, Chiellini, De Sciglio, Pirlo, Marchisio, Immobile, and Balotelli.

Uruguay have no injuries nor suspensions, which is pretty great news for Oscar Tabarez. The highly anticipated line-up will most probably consist of: Muslera, Alavaro Pereira, Godin, Gargano, Caceres, Gimenez, Maxi Pereira, Rodriguez, Arevalo, Suarez, and Cavani.