Marcelo Bielsa is relishing the prospect of taking his Uruguay team to Wembley Stadium to face England, saying: “Playing against the best always excites me.”

Uruguay are one of two opponents for Thomas Tuchel’s England side during the current international break, as they continue to build towards the World Cup. Japan also visit Wembley for another friendly on Tuesday.

Uruguay are also preparing for a World Cup campaign, having finished fourth in the CONMEBOL qualification group, 10 points behind Argentina but above Brazil on goal difference.

Bielsa’s side have been drawn in Group H for the World Cup, alongside Spain, Cape Verde and Saudi Arabia, with the latter being their opening opponents on June 15.

Friday’s game will be the first meeting between England and Uruguay since the 2014 World Cup, when the Three Lions were beaten 2-1 and eliminated from the tournament by a Luis Suarez brace.

England have just a 27% win ratio against Uruguay (P11 W3), only faring worse against Brazil (15%, P27 W4) and Romania (25%, P12 W3, minimum 10 games versus each).

“We are in a position to compete, with excellent possibilities,” Bielsa said at Thursday’s pre-match press conference.

“I never ignore our rivals, especially when they are a top team, but I also believe a lot in our players and in what we can do as a collective force.

“Every game is an opportunity. Obviously, I am not ignorant of the quality that we have to face, but all the games we play demand the maximum from us.

“Playing against the best always excites me.”

Marcelo Bielsa y su visión del partido que puede darse entre Inglaterra y Uruguay en Wembley pic.twitter.com/N8skQhnkn3

— Selección Uruguaya (@Uruguay) March 26, 2026

Leading Uruguay’s charge will be Federico Valverde, who has been in stunning form for Real Madrid in recent weeks.

Playing predominantly from the right wing, Valverde has scored six goals in Madrid’s last five games, including a hat-trick in the first leg of their Champions League win over Manchester City.

“He was always an outstanding player, but obviously, in recent games he has had a very striking ability to unbalance opponents, which is a new side of him,” Bielsa said of Valverde.

“He has played in his natural position as a central midfielder, but then he has solved the team’s needs as a right-back, and now, as a winger, he has shown things that we had not seen often before.

“He’s a very dynamic player. He can solve actions behind him, going forward, in the centre or on the sides, to the right or to the left.

“Valverde finds positive answers, he is always in a position to solve problems. And since he is very dynamic, he has many opportunities to have an impact.”