Uruguay did have a mini-wobble in the group stage, that came in a clash with Japan. They clearly underestimated their youthful Japanese side, which saw them fall to a 2-2 draw in their second clash. However, victories over Ecuador and Chile showed exactly what Uruguay are capable of on their day, so we have faith in them to secure a semi-final spot in Bahia on Saturday night.
Unfortunately for the hosts, they’re up against a visiting side that has been very good on the road. Only league leaders Dundalk have accumulated more points than Shamrock away from home this season. Having won seven of their 11 travelling matches, no team in the division has picked up more away wins than Shamrock, though the visitors have lost each of their other four on the road, so they’re not exactly infallible.
From a goal-scoring point of view, Shamrock, who’ve notched 15 in 11 on the road, have performed well away from the comforts of home, especially of late, as they’ve scored five in their last three travelling matches. However, they’ve not covered themselves in glory during that time, as they’ve shipped six goals in their last five away games.
In the betting, given the form of both in their recent home and away games, ‘Both Teams to Score’ appears to be slightly overpriced. Not only have St. Patrick’s and Shamrock scored in each of their last eight combined respective home and away games, but the pair shared no less than 2.58 expected goals for when they played each other at this venue back in March.