Basque Country will play their first match since November 2020 on Saturday evening, with Jagoba Arrasate's side taking on South American giants Uruguay at Athletic Bilbao's San Mames Stadium.
The hosts have not been in action since recording a 2-1 win over Costa Rica in a friendly almost four years ago, while Uruguay's last match was in November 2023, beating Bolivia 3-0 in a 2026 World Cup qualifier.
Match preview
© Reuters
Osasuna head coach Arrasate will be in charge of Basque Country for Saturday's glamour friendly, and a strong squad, largely made up of players from La Liga, has been selected for the encounter.
Basque Country are not affiliated with either FIFA or UEFA and are therefore only allowed to play friendlies, with their last game coming in November 2020, when they recorded a 2-1 victory over Costa Rica.
Euskadiko Selekzioa also beat Venezuela 4-2 in October 2018 and Tunisia 3-1 in December 2016, and this match will represent their fifth clash against Uruguay, winning two and losing two of their previous four encounters.
Basque County's overall record against FIFA national teams is actually very strong, winning 27 of their 40 matches, drawing five and losing six, scoring 103 goals in the process.
The team are also unbeaten since a 2-0 defeat to Tunisia in December 2011, winning five and drawing one of their last six matches, and as mentioned, a strong squad has been selected for this contest, so there should not be an inferiority complex on display from the hosts on Saturday night.
© Reuters
Uruguay, meanwhile, will bring a three-game winning run into this contest, impressively overcoming Brazil, Argentina and Bolivia in their last three qualification matches for the 2026 World Cup.
Marcelo Bielsa's side are second behind Argentina in their qualification section for the tournament, but they are currently looking to this summer's Copa America, with friendlies to come against Basque Country, Ivory Coast and Mexico before beginning the competition towards the end of June.
Uruguay will tackle Panama, Bolivia and United States in Group C at the 2024 Copa America, which is a tournament that they have won 15 times, making them the joint-most successful side in the history of the competition alongside the current champions Argentina.
The Sky Blues last won the Copa America in 2011, but they have not been past the quarter-finals since and were actually knocked out in the group stage in 2016.
Uruguay failed to make it out of the group stage at the 2022 World Cup, meanwhile, but their form over the last 12 months has been impressive, winning seven of their last 10 matches in all competitions, losing just once, which was a 2-1 reverse to Ecuador last September.
- W
- W
- W
- W
- D
- W
- L
- W
- D
- W
- W
- W
Team News
© Reuters
As mentioned, the majority of the Basque Country's squad play in La Liga, with representatives from Athletic Bilbao, Alaves, Real Sociedad, Osasuna and Girona.
There are only four players in the squad that operate outside of Spain's top flight, including centre-forward Alvaro Djalo, who has netted 14 times for Braga during an impressive campaign, and he is expected to feature through the middle for the hosts on Saturday.
Athletic duo Malcom Adu and Asier Villalibre could also be named in the final third of the field, while their club teammate Dani Garcia is expected to win his fifth cap in midfield.
Head coach Arrasate is likely to name two of his Osasuna players in the XI, meanwhile, with Unai Garcia and Jon Moncayola set to feature from the first whistle.
As for Uruguay, Liverpool's Darwin Nunez has been forced to pull out of the squad due to a hamstring problem, while Atletico Madrid's Jose Gimenez is another notable absentee through injury.
There is no Luis Suarez or Edinson Cavani in the squad, so Uruguay are short of goals at this level, and Federico Vinas could earn just his second cap as the starting striker, while Brian Rodriguez is also in line for a position in the final third of the field.
The South American nation should have Barcelona's Ronald Araujo and Real Madrid's Federico Valverde in their XI, while Guillermo Varela and Matias Vecino are also in line for starting roles this weekend.
Basque Country possible starting lineup:
Agirrezabala; A Elustondo, U Garcia, Pacheco, Garcia de Albeniz; D Garcia, Vesga, Moncayola; Adu, Villalibre, Djalo
Uruguay possible starting lineup:
Mele; Varela, Araujo, Caceres, Vina; Valverde, Bentancur, Vecino; Pellistri, Vinas, B Rodriguez
We say: Basque Country 1-2 Uruguay
Basque Country should be incredibly competitive considering the strength of their squad, and Uruguay will not be at full strength on Saturday, which will level out the playing field. We are expecting the visitors to triumph this weekend to continue their strong run of form, but it should be a close match at San Mames.
No Data Analysis info
Matt Law
