Virtual cousins, the two nations often quarrel politically and even soccer friendlies do not escape the need by both sides to assert their superiority on the pitch. Diego Maradona's Argentina have only to draw to secure automatic passage to the South Africa finals. Uruguay, fired up by two life-saving wins over Colombia and Ecuador, must win.

That need is exacerbated by the fact that if Ecuador win their last match away to a Chile team who have already qualified, Uruguay will be left with nothing if they get no more than a point against Argentina.  Coach Oscar Washington Tabarez was quick to ensure his players kept their feet on the ground after their 2-1 win away to Ecuador on Saturday, saying the job was not yet done.

"We must re-group and concentrate absolutely on the match against Argentina...Our situation demands that because we don't have much credit, we depend exclusively on a win," Tabarez told reporters in Quito. Maradona, using typically apocalyptic language, said: "We're going to be giving our lives in Uruguay to qualify."