Colombia vs Venezuela prediction: SOUTH AMERICA: World Championship – Qualification betting tips on match 2023-09-07 23:00.
Colombia will begin their 2026 FIFA World Cup Qualifying (WCQ) campaign looking to improve on the sixth-placed finish they achieved in the 2022 edition which saw them miss the inter-confederation play-offs by one point. They were consequently absent from the World Cup for the first time in three finals after reaching the knockout stages in both 2014 and 2018, though this time around a sixth place finish would earn them direct entry into the 48-team edition in 2026.
The Coffee Growers won the last two games of that campaign and have subsequently not lost any of their last 11 fixtures (W9, D2), whilst confidence should be high in the camp as they are still yet to lose under Argentine coach Néstor Gabriel Lorenzo (W6, D2). One also has to go back eight H2Hs to find the last time (2015) they were beaten by near-neighbours Venezuela (W4, D3), who are currently ranked 40 places below them by FIFA.
The Red Wine will be desperate to cultivate some vintage football, having dropped from an all-time high world ranking of 25 in July 2019 to begin this WCQ process in 57th place. Yet to participate at a World Cup, Venezuela finished last in CONMEBOL qualification during their last two campaigns, recording only five wins from 36 games (D7, L24). Their success rate in opposition territory in recent years is even poorer, having most notably registered nine losses from their nine away games in the previous WCQ cycle!
They do, however, remain undefeated under new Argentine manager Fernando Batista (W3, D1) since his appointment in March, which forms part of a seven-game unbeaten run (W5, D2) albeit all against opposition currently ranked 45th or lower. Nevertheless, Venezuela will travel over the border with some self-belief after picking up two draws from their last three visits.
Players to watch: Luis Diaz scored in Colombia’s last game and has got off to a strong start in this year’s EPL with goals against both Chelsea and Bournemouth. In all three fixtures he scored the first goal of the game. Meanwhile, all-time leading Venezuelan marksman Salomón Rondón has contributed towards six goals in his last seven appearances (G4, A2).
Hot stat: Of Colombia’s last 16 goals, 13 have been registered after half-time.