Spurs duo Bentancur and Heung-min Son open up on facing each other today

Rodrigo Bentancur has admitted that Uruguay will have their hands full this afternoon going up against Son Heung-min’s South Korea.

With Portugal the favourites to win Group H, the opening clash between Uruguay and South Korea is arguably the most important one in the group as it could potentially decide who joins Fernando Santos’ side in the knockout stages.

Heung-min Son
(Photo by Sebastian Frej/MB Media/Getty Images)

The South American side are ranked 14th in the world while the Asian side are ranked 28th (FIFA), and it promises to be a really interesting game at the Education City Stadium.

Two Tottenham teammates in Bentancur and Son will square off against one another, with the 30-year-old expected to start the game with a protective face mask (BBC Sport).

Bentancur admitted that the Uruguay backline will have to watch out for the Spurs star’s dribbling ability on the transition and his capacity to score with either foot.

Ahead of the game, the midfielder told Tottenham’s official website: “I think we’ve got a tough group and playing against Son too… South Korea are a really good team.

“I’ve already played against Son in a couple of friendlies and I know how hard he can make life for our defenders.

“He’s great in one-v-one situations, he can shoot with both feet and he’s a lethal striker in front of goal. But with Uruguay, we have our own strengths too, so I think it’s going to be a great group phase.”

Son also admitted that he is looking forward to locking horns with Bentancur in Qatar this afternoon.

The forward said: “All groups are tough, but I think this group is especially tough. That said, I’m really looking forward to coming up against Rodrigo. Facing a team-mate in the World Cup is special and something you’ll never forget.”

Spurs Web Opinion

This game could essentially dictate who makes the knockout stages as one would fancy both Uruguay and South Korea to beat Ghana, who are ranked 61st in the World. While the South American side goes into the game as favourites, Paulo Bento’s side cannot be written off with a world-class attacker like Son, who can produce something out of nothing at any moment.

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