The World Cup draw was not necessarily kind to Cape Verde in December, pitting them against Spain in their first-ever game at the world's most popular sporting event, but they went from underestimated newcomer to beloved underdog in no time at all. Last week's 0-0 draw against one of the oddsmakers' choices to win the whole thing has paved the way for the most intriguing question of the World Cup thus far – can they pull off another upset?
Cape Verde return to play on Monday against Uruguay, who may not have impressed in their 1-1 draw with Saudi Arabia last week, but are still the heavy favorites to notch a win at Hard Rock Stadium in the Miami suburbs. They will be tempted to pull from the same playbook that earned them a point against Spain a week ago, eyes set to be fixed on 40-year-old goalkeeper Vozinha after a standout World Cup debut – and with four million new social media followers now amongst a growing list of admirers. It will help that Uruguay are not exactly the goalscoring threat they were a generation ago when the likes of Diego Forlan and Luis Suarez led them to a semifinal run at the 2010 tournament in South Africa. Ex-Liverpool forward Darwin Nunez is their headliner in attack, but he is coming off an average season with Saudi club Al-Hilal and took just one of Uruguay's 27 shots in their tournament opener a week ago.
The fact that all teams in Group H were tied on a point coming into Sunday really means there is plenty of opportunity for each side to advance to the knockouts, an especially exciting prospect for Cape Verde as they command the support of the sport's faithful. Last week's draw with Spain did not inspire just an entire nation, but as Cape Verde head coach Bubista noted on Saturday, it has captivated an entire continent.
"We not only represent Cape Verde, we also represent Africa, with all the problems we have within our continent," he said in his pre-match remarks. "A country like ours being able to achieve this dream and be here competing with the best teams in the world means that any child in Africa … can have this dream. The objective is that this dream can help them believe they can reach any goal
"We have spent many years working, searching, striving so that our country can be known to the world. You can see how happy our people are everywhere because of what the team has achieved. But more than that, our national team shows our identity: organisation, fighting for things even while knowing they are difficult, and fighting to achieve them with character and determination."
How to watch Uruguay vs. Cape Verde
Date: Sunday, June 21 | Time: 6 p.m. ET Location: Hard Rock Stadium -- Miami Gardens, Florida TV: FS1 (Eng), Telemundo (Spa) | Live stream: Fubo (Try for free) Odds: Uruguay -230; Draw +320; Cape Verde +700
Uruguay vs. Cape Verde predicted starting lineups
Uruguay: Fernando Muslera, Guillermo Varela, Sebastian Caceres, Mathias Olivera, Juan Manuel Sanabria, Federico Valverde, Manuel Ugarte, Rodrigo Bentancur, Maximiliano Araujo, Federico Vinas, Darwin Nunez
Cape Verde: Vozinha, Steven Moreira, Diney, Roberto Lopes, Sidny Lopes Cabral, Kevin Pina, Laros Duarte, Ryan Mendes, Jamiro Monteiro, Jovane Cabral, Dailon Livramento
Uruguay vs. Cape Verde pick, prediction
Cape Verde are no slouch at this point and will likely put together a formidable effort against Uruguay, who will actually be under more pressure to perform considering their might. Expect Uruguay, though, to find a way across the finish line on Monday but not with any particular style points, a win may be enough to get them back into the knockouts, but probably not enough to thrust them into any conversations for a notable deep run. Pick: Uruguay 1, Cape Verde 0
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