SCOTT SPREITZER
France v. Uruguay
Pick: Uruguay
I'm playing underdog Uruguay on Friday. France, the 2006 World Cup runner-up has had their problems over the last couple of years and they're a bit of a mess heading into Friday's opener. They finished 0-2-1, scoring a grand total of one goal in three games in Euro Cup '08, and they barely qualified for South Africa, thanks to a hand-ball by Thierry Henry in a win over Ireland. Officials missed it on the field and FIFA refused Ireland's request to replay the game. Les Bleus have not looked too hot again in their last two friendlies, finishing in a 1-1 draw with TuniSIA, then losing to China just last Friday, a 1-0 shutout. France has changed their long-term formation of 4-2-3-1 to a 4-3-3 look in an attempt to bolster the offense. It hasn't worked thus far and the team looks frustrated right now. Then there's the strange coaching change that's already been announced, but won't take place until after the World Cup ends. Imagine Doc Rivers or Phil Jackson getting their walking papers a week before the NBA Finals, but were told they'd actually coach the Finals first. Unheard of. Not exactly the best case scenario for the 1998 World Cup champs. Uruguay is looking to reach the knockout phase for the first time in 20 years. They have the offensive attack to put non-stop pressure on France, thanks in part to Diego Forlan, who's scored 56-goals over the last two seasons for Atletico Madrid. Luis Suarez will also start up front, a 35-goal scorer this season for Ajax. Uruguay is in much better form than France right now, and I expect them to cash a big dog ticket on Friday. I'm playing Uruguay to pull the upset.