Venezuela have struggled in CONMEBOL World Cup qualifying suffering three consecutive losses. After three matchdays, Venezuela are the only team in qualifying not to score a goal.
Jose Peseiro’s team now face a must-win game to finally get points in qualifying as Chile visit Caracas. The Chileans have not been much better than Venezuela after three games. Yes, they have four points from nine possible, but Chile currently sit one point outside of the qualification places.
On matchday 3 of CONMEBOL qualifying, Chile defeated Peru 2-0 thanks to goals from Arturo Vidal. Both strikes came in the first half. But Vidal’s goals once again showcase Chile’s problem. They are an old team with few young stars coming through the ranks.
Vidal has three goals in qualifying while Alexis Sanchez has bagged two. The ageing duo, both over 30, have scored all five of Chile’s goals.
Venezuela suffered a 3-0 loss to Colombia before losing to Paraguay 1-0 on matchday 2. Matchday 3 finished with Venezuela losing 1-0 to Brazil. The good news for Peseiro is that the defence improved following the loss to Colombia. The bad news is the team’s attack is non-existent.
Chile have dominated Venezuela over the course of their histories. The Chileans registered a 21W-5D-2L record in 28 all-time internationals versus Venezuela. History is certainly not on Venezuela’s side going into matchday 4 of CONMEBOL World Cup qualifying.
A win for manager Reinaldo Rueda’s team on Tuesday could send them into the top five of the CONMEBOL standings. The top-four teams qualify automatically for the World Cup 2022. The fifth-place team qualifies for the inter-confederation playoffs.
Rueda will once again rely heavily on the likes of Vidal and Sanchez. Their participation in Tuesday night’s game should come at the detriment of their club team Inter Milan. Inter have been critical of Chile’s use of Sanchez and Vidal, which the football federation have dismissed.
Neither side go into the game with any new injuries. Unlike their European counterparts, Venezuela and Chile are playing just twice during the November international break, not three times. Players should be less fatigued for the game on Tuesday before returning to their club teams.
Chile are the better side on paper and should continue their historical trend of beating Venezuela when they meet in Caracas.
Expect Rueda to continue to lean heavily on both Vidal and Sanchez as they lead the national side to victory and potentially the top five of CONMEBOL World Cup qualification standings.