Uruguay entered the Qatar 2022 FIFA World Cup as one of the potential dark horses. However, Diego Alonso’s team struggled to be at their best in their debut, getting a goalless draw with South Korea.
Now, the South Americans will face the toughest rival in the group, at least on paper. They’ll go at it against Cristiano Ronaldo and Portugal in a must-win game if they want to advance to the next stage.
While a loss or a tie wouldn’t rule them out from the knockout stage, a win would almost guarantee to clinch a spot in the Round of 16. That’s why some are shocked to see that Luis Suarez isn’t a part of their starting XI.
Qatar 2022: Why Isn’t Luis Suarez Playing Vs. Portugal?
The former FC Barcelona striker hasn’t been at his best as of late. He’s not getting any younger, so coach Diego Alsonso made the decision to keep him on the bench and fresh for the final stretch of the game.
Instead, it will be Edison Cavani and Darwin Nuñez in charge of leading the Uruguayan attack, but you better believe the coach won’t hesitate to sub Suarez in if he feels like he needs a scoring punch late in the matchup.