World Cup 2018: Uruguay vs France - 3 key battles to watch out for

We have finally reached the quarterfinal stage of the 2018 World Cup, and only 8 games stay between us and a new world champion. In the first of these games, Uruguay will take on France at the Nizhny Novgorod stadium.

Uruguay subdued Portugal 2-1 in their previous game, while France played out a high-octane 4-3 against Argentina in the RO16 to book their place in the next round. After a less than stellar group stage performance, the Argentina match has left French fans in high spirits.

On the other hand, Uruguay look just as steady at the back and are becoming more lethal by the minute up-front. With Cavani's fitness still kept under the lid, Uruguay need to come up with a game-plan soon to discuss their tactics.

There are a few individual players who will lock horns in this encounter, and the winner of these battles will take their teams a little closer to the eventual victory. Here's a look at 3 such battles:

---

#1 Diego Godin vs Antoine Griezmann

Will Griezmann grace us with his trademark celebration, awful as it is?

In a case of club teammates becoming rivals on the international stage, Antoine Griezmann will have to first get past his friendly neighbour Diego Godin to put a dent into Uruguay's fate in the tournament.

Griezmann's share of goals have come from penalties, and he has had to take a step back offensively at the expense of other players. He has settled into a sort of a playmaker who commands the troops and dictates what position they should take up, instead of himself joining in the party up-front.

Diego Godin, however, sits at the heart of the Uruguayan defence that is as stingy as it is solid. They conceded no goal in the groups, and a lot of it was because of their centrebacks - and Godin in particular.

He has completely transformed as a player and brings to the national team the same solidarity as his Atletico Madrid days, and France will have a lot to do on their hands. Griezmann is also well aware of this, and a juicy encounter awaits.

Fun fact: Diego Godin is also the godfather for Antoine Griezmann and was a big part of why Griezmann chose to stay at Atletico. Tonight, however, no friendship bracelets will be respected.

#2 Luis Suarez vs Samuel Umtiti

You might not like him, but you cannot deny that he gives the national side his very best

The second individual battle will pit one Barcelona man against another Barcelona man - the sly lethality of Luis Suarez against the solid stability of Samuel Umtiti.

If Edinson Cavani fails to get fit in time for the quarterfinal (and reports are contradictory on that), it is up to Suarez to shoulder the enormous workload that was taken up by Cavani. Cavani scored both the goals against Portugal, and his replacement - Stuani, is a good goal-scorer, but he is not Cavani.

After a miserable opening match, Suarez has slowly grown over the course of the tournament and is now back to doing what he does best, but his telepathic connection with Cavani is what led to Portugal's demise. Without Cavani, it will be interesting to see how Suarez copes.

Samuel Umtiti, along with Rafael Varane, is part of a French back 4 that conceded 3 goals against Argentina. Umtiti has not had the best of tournaments, conceding a penalty against Australia because of a handball.

Against Uruguay, he cannot afford to give up any loose chances, because that is exactly what the team thrives on. They have one of the sharpest strikers in football, and Umtiti has to be on full alert to prevent any chances of a screw-up.

#3 Kylian Mbappe vs Jose Gimenez

Will Mbappe take flight once more in Russia?

Mbappe might have taken his sweet, sweet time to arrive in Russia, but he is in the form of his life just ahead of France's biggest test of the tournament. Unfortunately for him, he has to get past a rock named Jose Gimenez this time.

Against Argentina, it was Mbappe's pace that tore their defence to shreds with Rojo unable to keep up with the Frenchman, but Gimenez has the experience and the speed to keep up with the teenager.

Mbappe will find Gimenez no easy opponent to deal with in the air as well, as Gimenez is as good, if not better than Godin in that respect - and Godin is one of, if not the best, defender when it comes to dealing with crosses.

Gimenez is also a threat in the air when it comes to attacking set-pieces, after having scored against Egypt in the first game - and it is something the French have to keep an eye on. Gimenez's presence also rules out Pogba's long balls from the back to Mbappe, which played a major part in dealing with Argentina's shaky defence.