Venezuela vs Chile Prediction & Betting Tips - World Cup

Prediction published on 15/10/2023, 16:47  by Joseph King | Modified on 17/10/2023 at 09:00 in World Cup Prediction

The fourth matchday of 18 in the grueling CONMEBOL 2026 World Cup qualification group sees sixth-place Venezuela hosting fifth-place Chile in Maturin. Venezuela are off to a strong start this time around following a bottom of the table finish for the Qatar 2022 qualifiers. La Vinotinto are the only CONMEBOL team to have never qualified for the World Cup. However, the expanded size of the 2026 iteration means that Venezuela have their best ever shot at putting an end to that ignominious streak. The top six qualify automatically while seventh enters into an intercontinental playoff. Through the first three matches, Venezuela find themselves with a win, a draw and a defeat for a points total of four. This puts them sixth, even with their opponents today and five points behind leaders Argentina. Venezuela earned a fantastic point away against Brazil in their 1-1 draw on Thursday. The result marked the end of a three-game losing streak for Venezuela against Brazil.

Chile also missed out on the 2022 World Cup after a seventh-place finish in the qualifying group. They’ll now look to return to the world’s largest stage for the first time since their round of 16 appearance in Brazil 2014. They’re off to a solid start, gaining four points from a 1-1-1 record through the first three games. La Roja earned a well-deserved three points with a 2-0 home win over Peru on Thursday for their first win of the qualifying campaign. They left it somewhat late, securing the go-ahead goal in the 74th minute thanks to a Diego Valdez strike. Chile were on top all game, maintaining 64% of the possession and not allowing Peru a single attempt on target. It was an encouraging performance after a worrying start to the qualifying group. Chile will now have to reconcile with their poor away form if they are to make it back-to-back victories.