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Uruguay entered the World Cup as a potential dark horse, hiding behind the shadows of fellow South American sides Brazil and Argentina. And while both Brazil and Argentina have proven why they are the two favorites to win the Cup heading into the knockout stages, Uruguay has emerged as a threat in their own right.

Uruguay faces off against South Korea at 9 a.m. EST on Saturday, June 26. The winner advances in the tournament while the loser’s World Cup is over.

They’ve yet to allow a goal and have perhaps the leading candidate for player of the tournament in striker Diego Forlan. The Atletico Madrid hit man single-handedly broke the hearts of all South Africans in route to Uruguay’s 3-0 smashing of the hosts. His team then sealed up top spot in Group A with a 1-0 win over Mexico.

Not as highly touted but still impressive are Korea Republic, just the same. Uruguay makes their noise up front with the physicality and skill of their top two, the aforementioned Forlan and his partner Luis Suarez. South Korea will counter with their pace and shiftiness. The Koreans are as fit as any team in the field. They never stop going and are led by Park Ji-Sung of Manchester United. Their balance suits well going forward as they do not rely on any one player to carry the load. And as we have seen with England and a struggling Wayne Rooney, sometimes the load falling too much of the shoulders of a particular player could be damaging to winning hopes.

This is an intriguing Round of 16 match-up and really the brilliance of the World Cup. We get to see two teams from completely different sides of the globe and their own styles clash with everything on the line.

Uruguay will come right at you and they make no secrets about wanting to run everything through their top player Forlan. He runs the show and is the engine that makes this car run. South Korea does everything well. They aren’t exceptional or great in any one category, but to that point they rarely ever bet themselves. Uruguay has shown a bit more so far this tournament and deserves to be favorites, but they will have to take the win from South Korea because it won’t be given away cheaply.

Uruguay vs. South Korea World Cup Odds:
Bodog currently has Uruguay listed as the favorite at -120. They list South Korea at +350 and the ‘Draw’ is currently available at +230.

Sports Interaction has Uruguay just the same at -120 and South Korea at +32. The ‘Draw’ here is posted at +215.

Uruguay vs. South Korea Picks and Predictions:
Uruguay wins if: Mr. Forlan continues to get off. He has lived up to the hype I built for him coming into the tournament. His form was ‘A’ level during the group stage and it will likely have to stay at its peak in order for the Uruguayans to continue to advance. The help of Luis Suarez, whose header was the difference in the Mexico match, will be key too.

South Korea wins if: they are able to limit how aggressive Forlan and Uruguay’s attackers are. Uruguay’s size could be a big plus in the box, so if the Korea Republic can throw several bodies at Forlan and make someone else beat them, Uruguay might struggle to do just that in such an important match.

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