Match Preview: Congo DR vs Uzbekistan
Mercedes-Benz Stadium hosts a first-ever meeting where both teams cling to best-third-place math: Congo DR (1 pt) have a slim shot at second and a stronger best-third case with a win, while Uzbekistan (0 pts, -7) must essentially win big to have any hope. The contrast in form is stark. Patrice Desabre's Leopards have been one of the group's defensive stories — a resilient 1-1 draw with Portugal followed by a narrow 1-0 loss to Colombia — industrious, compact and hard to break down. Uzbekistan, by contrast, were thrashed 5-0 by Portugal and own one of the tournament's most porous defenses, having shipped eight.
That structural mismatch points to a controlled Congo DR win, and all ten analysts agreed. The wrinkle is incentive: with both needing goal difference for any best-third lifeline, the game could stretch and open up more than Congo DR's cautious profile suggests, which keeps the variance honest. Still, organisation and defensive reliability usually win these, and Congo DR have shown plenty of both. A 2-0 for the Leopards is the sensible call, even if a goal chase late on adds a touch of chaos.

