Uruguay look to stun France & reach semi-finals

by Austin Ditlhobolo

Thursday Jul 05, 2018. 12:00

Uruguay are set to take on France in the 2018 FIFA World Cup quarter-final game at the Nizhny Novgorod Stadium in Russia on Friday.

Kick-off is at 16h00 CAT.

The Sky Blue advanced to this round after stunning a much-fancied Portugal side 2-1 at the Fisht Olympic Stadium last weekend.

As a result, Uruguay are back in the last eight having failed to advance to the reach quarter-finals at the 2014 World Cup finals in Brazil.

The South American giants will be hoping to reach the semi-finals for the sixth time since the inception of the global tournament in 1930.

Luis Suarez and Edinson Cavani are the Sky Blue's key players and they will look to help the two-time World Cup winners overcome France.

Meanwhile, France progressed into the quarter-finals after defeating former World champions Argentina at the Kazan Arena last weekend.

The Blues are making their second consecutive appearance in the last eight. They were eliminated in the 2014 World Cup quarter-finals by Germany.

The European giants are keen to reach the semi-finals for the sixth time in the history of the global tournament.

Kylian Mbappe and Antoine Griezmann are important players in the Blues squad and they will be keen to inspire the 1998 World Cup winners to victory.

In head-to-head stats according to the FIFA.com, Uruguay and France have locked horns eight times.

The Sky Blue have won three matches compared to the Blues' one win, while four games ended in a draw.

Argentine match referee Nestor Pitana will be in charge of Friday's clash between Uruguay and France.