We said that Uruguay always do well in World Cups that end in -0, having won it in 1930 and 1950 and reached the semi-finals in 1970. A semi-final for Oscar Tabarez’s men is very much on the cards in 2010. Their progress to the quarter-finals has been a smooth one with Diego Forlan and Luis Suarez forging one of the best strike partnerships in South Africa. Unlike their opponents at Soccer City, Uruguay have just the one injury concern, over defender, Diego Godin, who damaged his thigh in the 2-1 win over South Korea. Uruguay have rarely impressed in recent World Cups, where they have been overcome by negativity and some shamelessly violent tactics. This time their football has been much more free-flowing, which Tabarez puts down to the fact that all but two of his 23-man squad play their football outside Uruguay and have been exposed to fresh footballing ideas. However, if they are to knock out Africa’s lone remaining representative at the first African World Cup, they will need to become the bad guys once more. They are capable of it.

There is no question which side Soccer City will be behind when this quarter-final kicks off. The whole of Africa appears to be supporting the Black Stars, who are aiming to become the first African nation to reach a World Cup semi-final. However, if every vuvuzela in Johannesburg and beyond will be blowing for Ghana, it will be a depleted side that actually takes the field. Asamoah Gyan, whose penalties earned them four points against Serbia and Australia, and whose superbly-taken winner sank the United States, is struggling to shake off an ankle injury. And while he says he will be fit, Kevin Prince Boateng is less optimistic that his hamstring complaint will have healed. There are even greater problems in defence, where Jonathan Mensah is suspended and Samuel Inkoon injured. That means that Ghana’s manager, Milovan Rajevac, may be forced to make peace with the wayward Sulley Muntari, since Andre Ayew, who was man of the match in the victory over the United States, is also suspended.

Were a fit, full-strength Ghana facing Uruguay you might back them to make African football history but the injuries and the suspensions have come at precisely the wrong time. Uruguay, for so long one of the nastier bit-part players of a World Cup, have come alive in this tournament and their clinical demolition of South Africa in Pretoria demonstrated that they can cope very well with waves of emotion. The key to this game may be how Muntari, who was left out of their Africa Cup of Nations squad after disagreements with Rajevac, copes with the responsibility of the biggest game in his nation’s history. It would be lovely to see Ghana continue to captivate Africa, but Uruguay are not a team overflowing with sentiment. Verdict: Uruguay to win.