Uruguay start preparations for China Cup

NANNING, China, March 21 (Xinhua) -- Uruguay arrived in Nanning on Wednesday ready to prepare for their China Cup match against the Czech Republic.

The South Americans arrive in China on the back of underwhelming results in friendlies in November 2017 and coach Oscar Tabarez's men want to build crucial momentum ahead of their World Cup campaign in June.

Uruguay will be lining up against the Czech Republic in their opening fixture in the tournament on Friday night.

The two sides last met in the 1997 Confederations Cup. Uruguay won out in the group stages but lost the third-place play off.

Back then the Czech Republic was arguably the superior side, fresh off a runner-up spot in the European Championships in 1996, the Czech Republic were routinely in the spotlight in international competitions.

Now the tables have turned significantly. With two of the best forwards in world football at his disposal, Tabarez can rest easy knowing that finding the back of the net won't be a problem for his side.

Many Chinese fans will be glad to know that Barcelona striker Luis Suarez and PSG target man Edinson Cavani will feature in this tournament.

However, Tabarez is quick to play down the importance of his biggest stars, saying that "every player in my team is important. Not just Suarez and Cavani".

It's hard to imagine that these players will be playing 180 minutes of football this weekend, but knowing that they will be playing is good news for those who want to make the trip down to the Guangxi Sports Centre.

Although the coach says the time to test combinations is in the past, there will likely still be some squad rotation given the relatively short amount of time the coach has been able to spend with his players on this trip.

The challenge for Uruguay will be to try and create momentum before the World Cup but still give all the players enough of a chance to make nail down a spot before the team heads to Russia in June. Enditem.