Can Argentina attack first place again?
Well done to the teams that play football in South America. One group and a clear starting position make qualification on the warm continent much clearer than in Europe, for example. The situation is already clear for the two teams that will face each other in a direct duel on Friday.
Argentina is already qualified, Venezuela will definitely not get a ticket for Qatar. Nevertheless, the game will be played and the national jerseys will certainly also provide some motivation for both teams.
The Gauchos are second in the South American qualifying group, four points behind the Brazilians in first. However, winning the qualifying group does not bring much apart from prestige in itself anyway. The first four teams are certain to be at the 2022 World Cup, while fifth place will have to duel it out in an intercontinental duel for the last place in the World Cup table. In the Argentina vs. Venezuela match, betting odds can be found in the 1.15 range for a home win.
Venezuela are miles away from this fifth place. The men from the Bolivarian republic are down in last place in the qualifying table. As the saying goes, it’s all about honour for them on Friday. It’s not easy to make a prediction on Argentina vs. Venezuela because of the high quality of the hosts. Kick-off for the South American duel is on Friday at 00:30 hrs German time.
Argentina – Statistics & current form
Two times world champions and three times runners-up. They have also won the South American title 15 times. Argentina can look back on a great history. Not only in terms of titles, but also in terms of players. With Diego Maradona, perhaps the best footballer of all time comes from the country with the best steaks. But Lionel Messi, an absolute legend, is also currently wearing the Albiceleste jersey.
The Argentine whirlwind has every title in his collection except one: the World Cup title! Can the veteran attack again in Qatar? Making a prediction on the Argentines in Friday’s clash Argentina vs. Venezuela is in itself unquestionable.
This is how the Gauchos go
In Germany, the classic “That’s how the Germans go!” has been around since the 2012 European Championship. The Argentinians, alias the Gauchos, also get their comeuppance in it. For the South American qualifiers, however, the song clearly has to be revised. The Argentinians are rolling through the qualifiers and have won four of their last five games with a draw against Brazil. Everything speaks in favour of the hosts on Friday, even if they were to field the second guard. In the World Cup qualifier Argentina vs Venezuela, you can find odds for a home win in the 1.15 range.
What goes for the Albiceleste in 2022
Argentina have been unbeaten for ages. Their last defeat dates back to 2019, and they won the last Copa America in style. In addition to leader Messi, they have brute quality in attack with Martinez, Dybala and Correa. Coach Lionel Scaloni seems to have the team under control for the most part.
You certainly won’t go wrong if you put the Argentines down as one of the favourites for the upcoming World Cup. Friday’s match is certainly only a friendly and the hosts could be in an offensive mood. For the Argentina vs. Venezuela clash, the odds for a bet on more than 2.5 goals are in the 1.70 range.
Predicted line-up of Argentina:
E. Martinez – Montiel, Pezzella, L. Martinez, Acuna – Lo Celso, Rodriguez, Gomez – Di Maria, L. Martinez, Ocampos
Last matches played by Argentina:
World Cup – CONMEBOL Qualifiers
02/02 2022 – Argentina 1 – 0 Colombia
01/28 2022 – Chile 1 – 2 Argentina
11/17 2021 – Argentina 0 – 0 Brazil
11/13 2021 – Uruguay 0 – 1 Argentina
10/15 2021 – Argentina 1 – 0 Peru
Venezuela – Statistics & current form
FIFA Rank 58 and greatest success with fourth place at the 2011 Copa America, it sounds a little different to the Argentines when you look at the current situation and success of the men from Venezuela. The Bolivarian republic on the Caribbean coast is not known for its great kickers. Accordingly, they are clear underdogs against the Gauchos from Argentina on Friday.
Absolutely defeated
The red lantern of the quality table hangs in the living room of Venezuela in South America. Last place, only ten points and the worst goal difference of all teams. It’s all about getting the best possible exit from the competition for the nation that is home to the Guiana highlands. With a close game against Argentina, one could speak of their farewell. They could then celebrate their final farewell against Colombia on Wednesday. To bet on Argentina vs. Venezuela in the qualifying match is a case for all those who believe in miracles
It would be a sensation
And you can never rule things out completely in football. However, the visitors are also travelling with a 4:1 pack against Uruguay. And the Celeste are not as strong as the Argentines at the moment. Venezuela have only won one of their last five matches. So it would really be a miracle if coach Jose Pekermann’s men could get a three-point win in Argentina.
Venezuela’s likely line-up:
Farinez – R. Hernandez, Chancellor, Ferraresi, Gonzalez – J. A. Martinez, Rincon, Darwin Machis, Otero, Yeferson Soteldo – Rondon
Last matches played by Venezuela:
World Cup – CONMEBOL Qualifiers
02/02 2022 – Uruguay 4 – 1 Venezuela
01/28 2022 – Venezuela 4 – 1 Bolivia
11/16 2021 – Venezuela 1 – 2 Peru
11/11 2021 – Ecuador 1 – 0 Venezuela
10/15 2021 – Chile 3 – 0 Venezuela
Argentina – Venezuela Direct comparison / H2H balance
26 games and only two defeats. A glaring record that Argentina has against Venzuela though. 22 wins, two draws and lost twice. That’s all that needs to be said to underline the Gauchos’ status as favourites. Incidentally, Argentina won the first leg in Venezuela 3-1.
The Argentines are currently valued at 582 million. Their opponents Venezuela are valued at just under 82 million. Not bad either. The most valuable man in Argentina’s squad is Inter Milan star Lautaro Martinez, who, at 70 million, covers almost the entire market value of his opponents.
The star of the visitors is Espanyol man Yangel Herrera. Market value of 18 million. Hidden Fact: Guest coach Jose Pekerman has never won against Argentina. He has lost three of his four games. The 72-year-old once coached the Gauchos himself and should know a lot about his opponents. Will the series break on Friday with a big sensation?
Argentina – Venezuela Tip
There is nothing, but nothing, to suggest that the visitors will take anything worthwhile home on Friday. On top of that, there is not much at stake in the game. The Argentines will play freely. Since the odds for a win by the hosts are naturally quite low, we decide to go with the goals. Betting on more than 2.5 of them in the Argentina vs. Venezuela match seems sensible.
There is not much at stake on Friday, both teams can play loose. Thus, goals are in the air. We decide to bet on more than 2.5 of them with our tip and invest five units.
