Uruguay will look to improve their position in the South American World Cup 2022 Qualifiers on Tuesday, when they make the trip to take on Bolivia.

La Celeste currently find themselves just outside of the qualification places, while their hosts sit four points worse off in ninth place.

Match preview

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Having collected just six points from their first 10 qualifying games, Bolivia's chances of reaching a first World Cup since 1994 looked all but gone, but La Verde managed to put two consecutive victories together to keep their hopes alive.

Cesar Farias's side arrested a slump with a hard-fought 1-0 home win over Peru, as Ramiro Vaca netted an 82nd-minute winner after they had been reduced to 10 men.

They then made it back-to-back wins in style, thrashing Paraguay 4-0 thanks to goals from Rodrigo Ramallo, Moises Villarroel, Victor Abrego and Roberto Fernandez, although La Verde now head into Tuesday's clash on the back of a defeat.

The one-time Copa America champions met Peru in the opening game of this round of qualifying fixtures, and they were on the wrong end of a 3-0 defeat as Gianluca Lapadula, Christian Cueva and Sergio Pena all got on the scoresheet in the first half.

While Farias's men sit ninth in the 10-team group, they remain just four points behind both Chile in fourth spot and Colombia in the playoff place, meaning they are more than capable of earning an unlikely qualification if they can bounce back to the form they demonstrated in October.

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They meet a Uruguay side desperate to break back into the top five after a difficult run of form.

Oscar Tabarez's men seemed to be flying in qualification, having won four of their first nine outings and collected 15 points to comfortably occupy a space at the top end of the table, but they have since hit a major dip in form.

After a draw with Colombia, they faced the unenviable task of two clashes with Argentina and a meeting with Brazil as the next three fixtures, and October saw them fall to a 3-0 defeat at the hands of Argentina and a 4-1 thrashing to the Selecao.

They began the latest round of fixtures with another tricky tie against La Albiceleste, as Tabarez sought revenge, but an early Angel Di Maria goal made the difference in a slender 1-0 win for the visitors, leaving Uruguay in sixth place.

Despite the concerning drop, La Celeste remain level on points with Chile and Colombia, meaning a victory could see them quickly move back into the automatic qualification places, and they will likely fancy their chances against the perennial strugglers on Tuesday.

Team News

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Bolivia continue to rely on the experience of Marcelo Moreno and Juan Carlos Arce at the top end of the pitch, with the pair sitting first and ninth in the nation's all-time scoring charts with 27 and 12 goals respectively.

Farias will likely stick with a back three against a dangerous Uruguay side, with the established trio of Jose Sagredo, Adrian Jusino and Jairo Quinteros expected to take to the field.

Uruguay have been unable to call upon the services of experienced Manchester United forward Edinson Cavani, who is ruled out with an injury, while Giorgian De Arrascaeta and Benfica star Darwin Nunez were also unable to make the squad.

Nonetheless, Atletico Madrid talisman Luis Suarez will continue to offer plenty going forward, having hit 65 international goals to top his country's all-time scoring charts.

Tabarez will stick with the established defensive pairing of Jose Gimenez and captain Diego Godin, with the pair boasting 224 combined appearances for La Celeste.

Bolivia possible starting lineup:
Lampe; Bejarano, Jusino, Quinteros, Sagredo, Villarroel; Vaca, Justiniano, Gonzales; Arce, Moreno

Uruguay possible starting lineup:
Muslera; Nandez, Godin, Gimenez, Piquerez; Vecino, Torreira, Bentancur; B Rodriguez, Suarez, J Rodriguez

We say: Bolivia 0-2 Uruguay

Despite their poor form and the squad being hit by injuries, Uruguay still boast more than enough quality to seal all three points in Bolivia.

With the need for a victory to improve their standing in the group, we expect the likes of Suarez and Godin to step up and use their experience to get La Celeste over the line.

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