Paraguay vs Venezuela prediction: SOUTH AMERICA: World Championship – Qualification betting tips on match 2024-10-15 23:00.
[p]Paraguay have done little to provide much entertainment so far in their dreary World Cup Qualifying (WCQ) campaign, but that will all be forgotten if they can reach their first World Cup finals since 2010. They took a point home from Ecuador (0-0) to keep within striking distance of the top seven and they can now move into that zone by leapfrogging a similarly plucky Venezuela side. [/p]
[p]The draw in Ecuador was immensely important to Paraguay head coach Gustavo Alfaro, who became overwhelmed with emotion when reflecting upon his successful tenure as Ecuador’s manager at the 2022 World Cup. He’s now looking to make new history and it’s becoming clearer by the game that Alfaro is inspiring Paraguay to beat the odds time and time again, not least in their most recent home WCQ where they defeated Brazil for the first time in 16 years. [/p]
[p]Venezuela also picked up a draw as enormous underdogs in their first WCQ of October, enduring a near-waterlogged pitch to hold reigning world champions Argentina to an ugly 1-1 stalemate and retain their loose grip on a top-seven position. Whilst WCQ group leaders Argentina were unable to play to their strengths due to the torrid conditions underfoot, Venezuela manager Fernando Batista believed his side deserved to win the match. [/p]
[p]Whilst there’s a lot of positivity in their camp, Venezuela’s inaugural World Cup finals appearance is going to depend on them eventually turning around one of international football’s great hoodoos, and this could be the time and place to do it. Venezuela will return to the site of their only two victories from the 30 away WCQs (D7, L21) since the end of the 2010 World Cup, which came in 2012 and 2017 respectively. [/p]
[p]Players to watch: Paraguay winger Ángel Romero will be looking to add to the five club goals he scored for Corinthians during September or to the two assists he delivered last time he met Venezuela. All three of Jefferson Savarino’s international goals were recorded away from home, including a potentially crucial 1-1 draw away to Peru. [/p]
[p]Hot streak: All nine of Paraguay’s WCQs during this cycle produced under 1.5 match goals. [/p]
[p][i]Written by Aaron Murphy [/i][/p]