NIZHNY NOVGOROD, Russia, June 23 (Xinhua) -- Hosts Russia pose a stern test for Uruguay as the teams prepare to battle for top spot in Group A of the World Cup, according to Celeste forward Cristhian Stuani.
Both sides have won their opening two matches, but Russia lead the group on goal difference, having scored seven goals to Uruguay's two.
Regardless of the result in Samara on Monday, the teams are guaranteed of a berth in the round of 16.
"What we have seen from Russia is that they are a great team," Stuani told a news conference on Saturday. "They have shown that they play very calmly, they have players who are physically strong and they can pass the ball. They are also dangerous on the counterattack."
Before the tournament, many pundits predicted that Uruguay's strength lied in an attack led by Luis Suarez and Edinson Cavani. However it is the defence that has been most impressive so far and the Celeste are one of only four teams that are yet to concede a goal.
They beat Egypt 1-0 in their first match on June 15 and defeated Saudi Arabia by the same scoreline on Wednesday.
"The important thing in this competition is to try to get a positive result, which can be very difficult," the Girona player said.
"We managed to win both games by the smallest margin but on both occasions we competed very well."
