While the continent of Europe is focused on qualifying for next summer’s European Championships in Germany, in South America, qualification has already begun for the 2026 World Cup.
At 10pm (BST) on Tuesday night, Venezuela host Chile in what already looks like a crucial encounter. Below I preview the match and look at the betting markets for this match-up.
Team News
Venezuela secured a famous 1-1 draw in Brazil last time out, so it is expected that Fernando Batista will choose the same XI here. The boss has done a terrific job, losing just one in six games since taking over from Jose Pekerman in March.
Meanwhile Chile are coming to the end of an era. Alexis Sanchez and Gary Medel, players who have served them so well over the past decade, are still in the starting XI, but past their best. Still, manager Eduardo Berizzo secured a dominant 2-0 win over Peru last time out and could well name the same XI here.
Match Odds
Venezuela are 8/5 to win this qualifier, with Chile priced at 13/8 for the win. That shows how evenly matched this contest is, while a draw can be backed at 2/1.
Venezuela to draw with Chile @ 2/1
Venezuela have never qualified for a World Cup in their history. However, with the expanded competition, now six teams from South America will automatically qualify for the finals, and there is an outside chance that they can make history in 2026. Only Bolivia are ranked lower than Venezuela in South American qualifying, but Fernando Batista’s side are defying the odds.
So far, they have the same record as Chile after three matches. Both sides have won one, drawn one and lost one, with Venezuela’s only defeat being a narrow 1-0 loss to Colombia. There’s no doubt they’ve progressed this year and are a competitive outfit, and given Chile aren’t the team they once were, Venezuela should be able to secure another positive result.
Venezuela 1-1 Chile @ 5/1
Goals have not been easy to come by for either of these sides so far, and given they look well matched on paper, we can pick out a correct scoreline to boost our odds. Venezuela’s scorelines so far in this qualification period have been 1-0 loss, 1-0 win and a 1-1 draw. The most recent draw came against Brazil and was one of their best results in recent history.
Meanwhile Chile have beaten Peru 2-0, but lost to Uruguay and drawn with Colombia. Although they’ve played two elite sides, things don’t seem perfect at the moment. They need a result heading into this one, but might just be held to a 1-1 draw, which at 5/1 seems like a big price.
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