Gómez and Giménez: From a 12-hour flight to a showdown at the Wanda

Two Uruguayan players will line up against one another this weekend in Valencia CF's away game against Atletico Madrid, and the pair have spent much more than 90 minutes with each other in recent weeks.

Maxi Gómez and José Giménez are two of the brightest prospects for the South American country, and are considered future successors to Luis Suárez/Edison Cavani and Diego Godin, respectively in the national team setup. Both were part of the recent international call-up, and sat together on the 12-hour flight from Lima, Peru, to Madrid.

"We share many things, and I've always listened to him a lot -as since a young age he's been playing for a big team. We both spoke about this weekend's game on the plane," Gómez told VCF Media this week.

This Saturday's game at the Wanda Metropolitano could be the first time the two meet in an official encounter, as their paths somehow never crossed at youth level or senior level in their homeland with Defensor and Sporting.

Gómez has, however, played against Atletico Madrid. He has a goal to show for it, scored in September 2018 with Celta Vigo in a 2-0 victory.

"It's very difficult to score goals against Atletico Madrid; they defend very well and when Giménez plays they are very strong," says Gómez.

"We try to get together to drink mate tea and have a chat when we are with the national team," he explains. "We are always talking about football, mate in hand, and have a good time together."