Venezuela vs Bolivia: The Green will take points from a major underdog in the qualifying tournament

Bolivia beat Venezuela 3:1 in their first head-to-head encounter in the 2022 World Cup qualifiers. Will Jose Pekerman's team get revenge in the upcoming clash?

The Venezuelan squad is a major underdog for the second consecutive World Cup qualifying tournament. Four years ago, the Reds at least occasionally struggled to score, but now they are hopelessly bottom of the table, six points behind their nearest rival. In their 14 previous encounters, they have only managed two wins - against Chile and Ecuador (2:1) and a 0:0 draw against Uruguay. That's the end of the Venezuelans' success, as they have lost their remaining 11 games. The renowned José Pekerman will now be working with them, but they have no realistic chance of qualifying for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

Bolivia was last qualified for the World Cup in 1994. However, they have a realistic chance of qualifying for the 2022 World Cup. It will be challenging for them, but they have made a spectacular run lately. In the first ten rounds, the Green could only score one win, but in the last four games, they have won three times, beating such formidable opponents as Peru, Paraguay and Uruguay by a combined score of 8:0. The Bolivians are only eighth in the table, but they are only two points adrift of fifth place.

The 2022 World Cup qualifiers are coming to an end, so the motivation of the teams in the standings is essential now. While Venezuela has lost their chances of going to Qatar, Bolivia has scored one sensation after another, taking 9 of a possible 12 points. That's an excellent reason for the Green to fight hard in their next game, and they also beat Venezuela 3:1 in their first head-to-head encounter in this year's qualifying tournament. As a result, we suggest betting on Bolivia won't lose 2.00.

The Venezuelan and Bolivian sides have been very productive of late. In their last four head-to-head encounters, the opponents have combined for 19 goals (4.75 goals per game average), which is very respectable by football standards. The Green are the most entertaining team in the World Cup 2022 qualifying, with their 14 matches already resulting in 48 goals (3.43 goals per game average), and the Reds' change of head coach should cause a splash of activity, so we suggest betting on total over 2.5 for 1.72.

Marcelo Moreno is having an incredibly productive World Cup 2022 qualifier. He has never had an outrageous run of form for Bolivia, although he has had highly effective seasons at club level with Cruzeiro and Wuhan, scoring more than two dozen league goals. Now, the 34-year-old has already scored nine goals in 13 meetings, making him the top scorer in the qualification table, two goals ahead of his nearest pursuer. In such a situation, we suggest betting on a Marcelo Moreno goal for 3.44.