Colombia and Uruguay will both be looking to pick up their second win of CONMEBOL FIFA World Cup qualification when the two South American giants lock horns at the Estadio Metropolitano Roberto Melendez on Friday.
The hosts have beaten Venezuela and drawn with Chile already, whereas Uruguay overcame Chile before losing to Ecuador last month.
Match preview
Colombia's top goalscorer Radamel Falcao was tasked with bailing his country out of trouble against Chile on matchday two, with the Galatasaray forward notching up a last-gasp equaliser in a 2-2 draw back in October.
Carlos Queiroz's men were indebted to the veteran striker once again, but Colombia did not have any problems on the goalscoring front against Venezuela as they marched to a resounding 3-0 victory on matchday one.
The prolific Atalanta pairing of Duvan Zapata and Luis Muriel (2) propelled Colombia to a comfortable victory in that encounter, with Queiroz's side staking an early claim for a top-four finish.
Automatic qualification for a third consecutive appearance in the World Cup finals is exactly what the Colombia faithful desire, with Los Cafeteros also expected to take maximum points from their encounter with Ecuador in the days following Friday's showdown with Uruguay.
Uruguay's loss to Ecuador on matchday two was their first defeat in any competition since losing to Peru on penalties in last year's Copa America, and Oscar Tabarez's side will be determined to recover from that 4-2 loss straight away against Colombia.
A brace of Luis Suarez penalties meant very little as the damage was done early on by Ecuador, who struck four times through Moises Caicedo, Gonzalo Plata and Michael Estrada (2) to send Uruguay crashing back down to earth after their win over Chile in their maiden qualification game.
Even then, Tabarez's men were made to work for the three points as a last-gasp Maxi Gomez goal won the day for Uruguay, who initially opened the scoring through another Suarez spot-kick before Alexis Sanchez levelled the tie.
Suarez's trio of penalties took him level with Brazil's Neymar and Peru's Andre Carrillo in the top scorer charts, and the Atletico Madrid man is sure to be determined to notch up at least one more on Friday as Uruguay bid to make the World Cup finals for the fourth time in a row.
James Rodriguez set the world alight with his sweetly-struck volley Colombia's clash with Uruguay at the 2014 World Cup - which saw Los Cafeteros win 2-0 in the last-16 stage - but the most recent game between the two sides in 2016 ended in a 2-2 stalemate.
Colombia World Cup Qualifying - South America form: WD
Colombia form (all competitions): DLWWWD
Uruguay World Cup Qualifying - South America form: WL
Uruguay form (all competitions): WDWDWL
Team News
Everton playmaker Rodriguez is fit and raring to go despite struggling with injury recently, with the 29-year-old set to line up on the right-hand side along with Atalanta pairing Zapata and Muriel up top.
However, there is no place in the squad for Colombia's all-time leading goalscorer Falcao, with the former Chelsea and Manchester United man on the treatment table with a hamstring issue.
As a result, uncapped Granada forward Luis Suarez has been included, although the 22-year-old's dreams of lining up against his Uruguayan namesake may not come true in this important match.
Atletico's Suarez will be leading the line for the visitors, who have also welcomed 50-goal Edinson Cavani back to the international fold.
Suarez's teammate Jose Gimenez has also made the cut after missing out in October due to injury, with the 25-year-old set to line up in defence alongside his former Atletico centre-back partner Diego Godin.
However, Real Madrid midfielder Federico Valverde suffered a broken leg during his side's 4-1 defeat to Valencia and is now set for a lengthy period on the sidelines.
Colombia possible starting lineup:
Ospina; Orejuela, Sanchez, Murillo, Mojica; Lerma, Cuadrado, Barrios; Rodriguez, Zapata, Muriel
Uruguay possible starting lineup:
Campana; Cacares, Gimenez, Godin, Vina; Bentancur, Torreira; Nandez, De La Cruz, Rodriguez; Suarez
We say: Colombia 1-1 Uruguay
Both of these powerhouses will be desperate to return to winning ways on matchday three, and with the plethora of talent on show at both ends of the pitch, those watching should be set for an entertaining spectacle. Uruguay have several regular players missing through injury, though, so Colombia can feel confident of taking all three points in this one, but we are expecting Friday's showdown to end all square.
Top betting tip
Our expert tipster partners at Sporita.com are predicting a double chance bet on a home win or draw in this match. Click here to find out what else they are predicting for this game and for more of their tried-and-tested football tips.Home/Draw:databody check tags ::
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