Venezuela will face Paraguay in the second round of the CONMEBOL World Cup qualifiers at Estadio Monumental de Maturin on Tuesday night. Both teams will be eager to secure their first win of the competition.
Match Preview:
Venezuela comes into this match after a 1-0 loss to Colombia at Estadio Metropolitano. Although the scoreline doesn’t reflect it, Venezuela struggled in the match, with only two attempts on target and 29% possession.
This loss ends their unbeaten streak of eight friendly matches. In the last World Cup qualifiers, Venezuela finished at the bottom of the standings with only 10 points from 18 matches.
Paraguay played out a draw against Peru in their previous qualifier, keeping a clean sheet. Despite having a man advantage for the entire second half, Paraguay failed to find the net.
However, they have a good record against Venezuela, winning both matches in the last World Cup qualifying campaign.
Team News:
Venezuela may switch to a 4-4-2 formation, with Yeferson Soteldo bolstering the midfield. Jefferson Savarino might be replaced by Josef Martinez, and Alejandro Marques could join the frontline.
Fabian Balbuena and Gustavo Gomez are expected to start in defense for Paraguay, with Miguel Almiron on the right side of the attack. Matias Rojas and Gabriel Avalos will compete for the number nine role.
Possible lineups:
Venezuela:
GK. Romo
DF. Gonzalez, Osorio, Angel, Mago
MD. Martinez, Rincon, Herrera, Soteldo
FW. Marques, Rondon
Paraguay:
GK. Carlos
DF. Rojas, Balbuena, Gomez, Riveros
MD. Villasanti, Cubas, Gomez
FW. Almiron, Avalos, Rojas
Prediction:
We predict a 1-0 victory for Paraguay. Despite their missed opportunity in the last match, Paraguay displayed defensive solidity and limited their opponents’ chances. We expect them to find the net again and keep a clean sheet against Venezuela.