Saudi Arabia vs Uruguay: prediction & betting odds 15 June 2026

Form and Line-up Saudi Arabia

World Cup qualification unexpectedly became a serious test for Saudi Arabia. In the third stage, the team fell well behind Japan and Australia, which forced them to play a mini-tournament where they faced weak Iraq and Indonesia. They did not even beat the former: a dull 0:0 and only 0.67 xG.

The trend continued in recent friendlies. Ecuador, who are not the strongest side and were also without their main stars, met almost no resistance (2:1) and constantly caught their opponents on counter-attacks. It is worrying that in attack the Saudis are pinning all their hopes on 34-year-old Al-Dawsari, who has declined sharply this season: he recorded 8+8 in the league after posting 15+15 last season.

Key Numbers Saudi Arabia:

• They are playing at the World Cup for the third time in a row, but failed to get out of the group in the previous two editions.

• They qualified only through the fourth stage of qualifying.

• They have only one win in four friendlies.

Probable Saudi Arabia line-up (4-3-3)

Nawaf Al-Aqidi - Saud Abdulhamid, Hassan Tambakti, Jehad Thakri, Nawaf Boushal - Abdullah Al-Khaibari, Mohamed Kanno, Musab Al-Juwayr - Sultan Mandash, Firas Al-Buraikan, Salem Al-Dawsari.

Form and Line-up Uruguay

Uruguay, by contrast, handled qualifying superbly. Under Marcelo Bielsa, the team focused on pragmatism and defence, and that approach paid off. The Araujo and Gimenez duo can shut down any forward, so 12 goals conceded in 18 games came as no surprise to anyone. It is also important that Darwin Nunez is coping excellently with the role of lone striker (5+2) and is capable of deciding key moments.

The absence of friendlies raised far more questions. The last ones were played at the end of March, although the results were more likely to please the fans. The draw with top-level England (1:1) at Wembley was especially impressive. The visitors did not surrender the initiative and created 1.3 xG.

Key Numbers Uruguay:

• They have qualified for a fifth consecutive World Cup.

• They have failed to get out of the group only once in 16 years.

• They have not played a single friendly before the World Cup.

Probable Uruguay line-up (4-5-1)

Fernando Muslera - Guillermo Varela, Ronald Araujo, Jose Gimenez, Mathias Olivera - Federico Valverde, Manuel Ugarte, Agustin Canobbio, Giorgian de Arrascaeta, Maximiliano Araujo - Darwin Nunez.

Who Will Referee the Match

Maurizio Mariani (Italy)

Matches officiated – 14 (international matches, 2025/2026);

Average fouls per match – 21;

Average yellow cards per match (including second yellows) – 3.3;

Matches with a red card – 1 out of 14;

Matches with a penalty awarded – 2 out of 14.