FIFA WC: Uruguay, Russia eye knockout berth

Two-time winners Uruguay and hosts Russia will aim to book their place in the knockout rounds of the ongoing 21st edition of the FIFA World Cup when they lock horns with each other in the third and final match of the tournament here at the Samara Arena on Monday.

The two teams will square off for the top spot in Group A, having both clinched two victories in their previous matches.

Uruguay will head into the match following a 1-0 win against Egypt and Saudi Arabia in their first two matches.

Hosts Russia, on the other hand, kicked off their campaign at the showpiece event with a 3-1 win over Egypt before they followed it up with a crushing 5-0 win over Saudi Arabia.

The encounter is crucial for both teams.

While Uruguay need to win the match if they want to finish the opening round as group winners, a draw for Russia would be enough to finish the group stage as leaders as they enjoy a superior goal difference.

In other matches of the day, sixty seventh-ranked Saudi Arabia will lock horns with 45-ranked Egypt in Group A at the Volgograd Arena.

Egypt are yet to open their account in the tournament, having lost to Russia and Uruguay in their opening encounters.

Walking on the same lines, Saudi Arabia are also without a win in the World Cup so far.

In Group B clashes, Iran will take on Portugal while Spain will be keen to continue their good run in the tournament with a victory over Morocco in the fourth and final clash of the day.

On a related note, following is the squad for Russia and Uruguay:

Russia

Goalkeepers: Igor Akinfeev (C), Vladimir Gabulov, Soslan Dzhanaev, Andrei Lunev.

Defenders: Vladimir Granat, Ruslan Kambolov, Fedor Kudryashov, Ilya Kutepov Roman Neustadter Konstantin Rausch, Andrei Semenov, Igor Smolnikov, Mario Fernandes.

Midfielders: Yuri Gazinsky, Alexander Golovin Alan Dzagoev, Alexander Erokhin, Yuri Zhirkov, Daler Kuzyaev, Roman Zobnin, Alexander Samedov, Anton Miranchuk, Alexander Tashaev, Denis Cheryshev.

Forwards: Fedor Smolov, Aleksei Miranchu, Artem Dzyuba

Uruguay

Goalkeepers: Fernando Muslera, Martin Silva, Martin Campana

Defenders: Diego Godin (C), Sebastian Coates, Jose Maria Gimenez, Maximiliano Pereira, Gaston Silva, Martin Caceres, Guillermo Varela

Midfielders: Nahitan Nandez, Lucas Torreira, Matias Vecino, Federico Valverde, Rodrigo Bentancur, Carlos Sanchez, Giorgian De Arrascaeta, Diego Laxalt, Cristian Rodriguez, Jonathan Urretaviscaya, Nicolas Lodeiro, Gaston Ramirez

Forwards: Cristhian Stuani, Maximiliano Gomez, Edinson Cavani, Luis Suarez.