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Uruguay U20 and Iraq U20 will battle for three points at the Estadio Unico Armando Maradona in the FIFA U20 World Cup on Monday.
Uruguay are participating in their 16th World Cup at this level. They booked their spot in the tournament courtesy of their runers-up finish at the 2023 South American U-20 Championship.
Iraq are making their fifth appearance at the U20 World Cup and their first in a decade. They finished as runners-up at the 2023 AFC U-20 Asian Cup to secure their spot in Argentina.
The Young Lions of Mesopotamia played out a memorable 1-1 draw against Brazil in a preparatory friendly for the World Cup in April. They went ahead through Abdul Razaq's 4th-minute penalty, while Kevin equalized for the South Americans on the hour mark.
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Uruguay, meanwhile, claimed a routine 2-0 victory over Uzbekistan in a friendly last week. Fabricio Diaz broke the deadlock from the spot in the 68th minute, while Anderson Duarte added a second in injury time.
Uruguay U20 vs Iraq U20 Head-to-Head and Key Numbers
- This will be the second meeting between the two sides at this level. They faced off in the semifinal of the 2013 World Cup, with Uruguay progressing on penalties.
- Each of Uruguay's last four matches have produced less than three goals and also saw one side fail to find the back of the net.
- Iraq's best performance at the U20 World Cup was their fourth-placed finish in 2013.
- Uruguay have never won the U20 World Cup but have finished as runners-up on two occasions in 1997 and 2013.
- Four of Iraq's last six games have witnessed goals at both ends.
Uruguay U20 vs Iraq U20 Prediction
Uruguay are tipped to battle with England for one of the top two spots in Group E. Marcelo Broli's side will be keen to kickstart their campaign with a win against Iraq.
The Asians are making a return to this stage after a decade away and despite low expectations, they were impressive at the Asian U-20 Championship. They also proved their mettle in a 1-1 pre-tournament friendly against tournament favorites Brazil last month.
Nevertheless, Uruguay's pedigree could come to the fore and we are backing the South Americans to claim a comfortable win.
Prediction: Uruguay 2-0 Iraq
Uruguay U20 vs Iraq U20 Betting Tips
Tip 1 - Uruguay to win
Tip 2 - Both teams to score: No
Tip 3 - Under 2.5 goals
