Uruguay vs Venezuela: The Sky Blue to get a comfortable win

Uruguay have only beaten Venezuela in one of their last four encounters. Can Diego Alonso's charges now beat an uncomfortable opponent? We predict that the Sky Blue will win!

In recent years, the Uruguayan squad has been a regular participant in world championships. Still, their World Cup 2022 qualifiers have suddenly turned into one misstep after another, causing them to risk missing out on Qatar. At the end of 2021, the Sky Blue ended a four-match losing streak, after which the legendary Oscar Tabares resigned. Diego Alonso was appointed as the new manager, and his first game in charge broke the losing streak, beating the visiting team of Paraguay with a Luis Suárez goal - 1-0. This crucial victory allowed the Uruguayans to climb to fifth place in the standings, with only one point remaining before the top-four.

Venezuela are the biggest disappointment in the World Cup 2022 qualifiers. They failed to qualify for the last World Cup, but now they are falling apart. They have scored just seven points in their opening 14 games, beating Chile and Ecuador 2-1 on aggregate and drawing 0-0 with Uruguay. After another losing streak at the end of 2021, the Venezuelans have a new head coach. Now they will be leading the experienced Jose Pekerman, under whose guidance the Venezuelan national team defeated Bolivia - 4:1. Still, even this local success has not allowed them to leave the last place in the standings.

Throughout history, the teams have played 28 head-to-head encounters. The Uruguayans have won 16 games, the Venezuelans have been stronger in three and nine more draws. The goal difference is also in favour of the Sky Blue, 54-20. The opponents have met once in the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, and that time it was a 0-0 draw.

The Uruguayan and Venezuelan national teams had a poor showing at the 2022 World Cup qualifiers and were forced to change head coach during the winter. The move helped them win their first official match in 2022, but the Sky Blue beat away Paraguay 2-1, and the Venezuelans proved stronger than a lowly Bolivian side that had been trailing for too long, 4-1. The former's feat is a little more impressive, and now they will also play at home, and the tournament motivation speaks in their favor, which begs the bet on Uruguay's victory with a handicap (-1.5) for 2.05.

The Venezuelan national team thrashed Bolivia 4-1 the day before, but we shouldn't believe that Jose Pekerman can change the troubled team overnight. After all, the Bolivians always played poorly, and since the 60th minute, they played in the minority. The Venezuelan will have to contend with a more organized Uruguayan side that excels in defense, but is not very efficient in attacking either. Moreover, the last two head-to-head encounters between the two sides ended 0-0, which is why we see the best possible prediction now as Total Under 2.5 goals for 1.72.

Luis Suarez is not in the main Atletico squad this season, but he has scored seven goals in 20 games. Of course, the Uruguayan national team have even greater expectations of him, which he has fulfilled on most occasions. The experienced forward scored six goals in 11 caps for the 2022 FIFA World Cup. Moreover, the 35-year-old scored the only goal with Paraguay the previous day, leading the Sky Blue to a 1-0 win. In such a situation, a bet on Luis Suárez's goal is worth considering for 1.95.