India vs Uruguay – News and Probable Lineups

On Tuesday, Uruguay will conclude the current international window with a friendly against India at the Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata.

Uruguay won against South Korea in their latest match, while India suffered a heavy defeat in their recent game against Brazil.

Match overview

India kicked off the international window with a 1-1 draw against Panama, where Ryan Williams’s opening goal was canceled out by Omar Valencia’s equalizer in the second half.

Khalid Jamil’s team then set their sights on a high-profile clash against a side that is ranked 132 places higher than them in the FIFA world rankings – the five-time world champions Brazil.

Estevao and Pedro each found the net in the first half, before Samuel Lino added a double to hand India a 4-0 loss.

Consequently, the Blue Tigers have now gone six matches without securing a victory since their 2-1 win over Hong Kong in the closing game of their futile Asian Cup qualifying campaign.

In those six games, they have not managed to score more than one goal and have conceded in each of their last 13 international fixtures.

Considering this, India will find it challenging to secure a positive outcome against a nation positioned 118 places above them in the FIFA rankings, even though it serves as valuable preparation ahead of the 2026 SAFF Championship in November.

Uruguay experienced a disappointing World Cup campaign, managing just two points from their three matches, resulting in a second consecutive exit from the group stages.

This underwhelming performance marked the end of Marcelo Bielsa’s three-year spell and paved the way for Uruguayan icon Diego Forlan to take the helm of the senior team.

Forlan’s reign began with a 3-1 away loss to Japan, extending the country’s winless streak to eight matches (D5, L3).

Fortunately for Uruguay, they broke their long wait for a victory with an impressive 4-1 win over South Korea in Seoul.

Darwin Nunez scored twice, accompanied by a goal from Giorgian de Arrascaeta and an own goal, as Uruguay secured eight victories in their last 11 encounters (D2, L1).

Having scored four goals in a match for the first time in two years, La Celeste will aim for another prolific performance in Tuesday’s fixture, while also looking to snap a sequence of five matches without a clean sheet.

Team News

Goalkeeper and captain Gurpreet Singh Sandhu is anticipated to keep his place ahead of Prabhsukhan Singh Gill, who featured in the second half against Brazil.

Full-backs Jay Gupta and Valpuia are options if Jamil chooses to tweak his defensive line for Tuesday’s match.

At the opposite end, Vikram Partap Singh and Mohammed Sanan could enhance Jamil’s attacking choices.

For Uruguay, they will be without Real Madrid midfielder Federico Valverde, who picked up an ankle injury during the Madrid derby prior to the international break.

Forlan is expected to implement changes to distribute playing time throughout the squad, with Santiago Mele, Jose Maria Gimenez, Santiago Mourino, and Jan Manuel Sanabria in contention to start.

Other players who may feature from the beginning include Facundo Bernal, Rodrigo Zalazar, Facundo Pellistri, and Federico Vinas.

India probable starting XI:

Singh Sandhu; Valpuia, Varghese, Ali, Gupta; Apuia, Thapa; Partap Singh, Williams, Sanan; M Singh

Uruguay probable starting XI:

Scrum; Mourino, Gimenez, Olivera, Piquerez; Bernal, Bentancur; Pellistri, Zalazar, Araujo; Vinas

Even if Forlan alters his starting XI, Uruguay is significantly stronger on paper compared to their hosts, and it is expected that they will demonstrate the disparity in quality with a straightforward win.