A new era begins – Uruguay without Tabarez for the first time
In South America, the hot phase of qualifying for the World Cup in Qatar at the end of the year finally begins. Four match days are still to go and the fourth starting spot in particular promises to be an exciting battle. There are only four points between fourth and ninth place, so there are countless direct duels on the agenda. One of these matches will be played from Thursday to Friday in Asuncion, where Paraguay and Uruguay will face each other.
Basically, the top motto for both teams is “no losing”, but even a draw could be too little in the fight for the World Cup ticket. Accordingly, the pressure is great and the chosen risk of both teams will probably be very manageable. Accordingly, this duel will probably not be a football treat. Despite home advantage, the lowest betting odds are offered on a win for the Celeste from Uruguay in Paraguay vs.
The question for Paraguay is whether they can break their goal drought. The team has gone without a goal in its last five qualifiers, and with a total of just nine goals in 14 games, the hosts boast the weakest attack in South American qualifying. The match kicks off at 0:00 Central European Time on Thursday night.
Paraguay – Statistics & current form
All good things come in threes – in the case of Paraguay, this would not be true, as the national team would then miss out on a World Cup for the third time in a row. Given the tight starting position, anything is still possible, but after only two wins in 14 games, it is hard to imagine the team starting a winning streak in the final spurt and thus still being able to clinch the Qatar ticket at the last moment.
Five qualifying matches without scoring a goal of their own
The big problem is more than just obvious, as the team lacks any penetrating power on the offensive. The 2-1 home win over Venezuela in September was the last time Paraguay scored a goal. Five games followed, two of which ended goalless. The remaining three games were all lost.
During this period, Eduardo Berizzo was relieved of his duties in October and Guillermo Barros Schelotto made his debut as national coach in the November double. However, the Argentine has not yet been able to turn things around.
His squad is largely made up of legionnaires, but the big names are not to be found. Newcastle legionnaire Miguel Almiron is listed as the most valuable player, but the 27-year-old has yet to score a single point in 17 appearances and 981 minutes of play this PL season. The attacking hopes rest on Torino attacker Antonio Sanabria, who has already scored five Serie A goals. However, he has only scored twice in 25 games for the national team.
Paraguay are currently one of the weakest teams in South America, and with the upcoming clash against Brazil next week, their dream of participating in the World Cup could be over after these two internationals. Even a goal would be positive for the home side after their recent results, but there is a lot to suggest that Paraguay vs Uruguay will be a successful bet on “Both teams score? No”.
Probable line-up of Paraguay:
Silva – Alonso, Gomez, Balbuena, Escobar – Villasanti, Lucena, Almiron – Samudio, Gonzalez, Sanabria
Last matches played by Paraguay:
World Cup – CONMEBOL Qualifiers
11/17 2021 – Colombia 0 – 0 Paraguay
11/12 2021 – Paraguay 0 – 1 Chile
10/14 2021 – Bolivia 4 – 0 Paraguay
10/11 2021 – Chile 2 – 0 Paraguay
10/08 2021 – Paraguay 0 – 0 Argentina
Uruguay – Statistics & current form
In March 2006, Oscar Tabarez took over the national team of his homeland. For more than 15 years he accompanied the two-time world champions and became a father figure for many players. As he got older, Tabarez had major health problems, but these did not prevent him from continuing. In November 2021, however, the maestro had to give way, and Uruguay played no fewer than 225 international matches under his leadership. The threat of missing the World Cup, however, forced the association to take this unpopular step.
Four defeats in a row
Under Tabarez, Uruguay did not operate particularly offensively despite the outstanding offensive players (Luis Suarez, Edinson Cavani, Darwin Nunez). Also due to his age, the style of play was relatively conservative. In recent years, Uruguay has been overtaken by many of its rivals, and its current World Cup qualifying campaign is accordingly on shaky ground. After the Celeste suffered two defeats in both the October and November double, their elimination was sealed.
His successor is Diego Alonso, a former professional who was under contract in Spain with Valencia and Atletico Madrid at the beginning of the 21st century. As a coach, he was last active in Major League Soccer and had to vacate his seat at Inter Miami after 24 games and an average of one point per game. Now he is to lead Uruguay, a country with fewer inhabitants than Berlin, back to its former strength. The prerequisite for this will probably be modern, more attacking football.
Quality abounds
Tabarez ensured that the youth system in Uruguay was put on a new footing for sustained success. A look at the current national team squad still shows that there are many veteran players, but with players like Darwin Nunez, Ronald Araujo, Federico Valverde or Rodrigo Bentancur, there are many young players.
In view of the available player material, the visitors are certainly to be rated much stronger both up front and across the board. Even if Tabarez was revered by the older generation in particular, the new wind is probably overdue. A few minor changes can make a big difference, and from a purely qualitative point of view, betting on the visitors appears to be an absolute must for Paraguay against Uruguay.
Predicted line-up of Uruguay:
Rochet- Olivera, Gimenez, Godin, Araujo – Valverde – Torres, Bentancur, Nandez – Cavani, Suarez
Last matches played by Uruguay:
World Cup – CONMEBOL Qualifiers
11/16 2021 – Bolivia 3 – 0 Uruguay
11/13 2021 – Uruguay 0 – 1 Argentina
10/15 2021 – Brazil 4 – 1 Uruguay
10/11 2021 – Argentina 3 – 0 Uruguay
10/08 2021 – Uruguay 0 – 0 Colombia
Paraguay – Uruguay Direct Comparison / H2H Balance
Within less than a month, this clash came up twice in June 2021. Firstly, the first leg of the ongoing World Cup qualifiers took place, in which the two teams parted goalless. The second clash at the end of June was a group match at the Copa America in Brazil. Manchester United star Edinson Cavani scored the only goal from the penalty spot. These two matches also suggest a prediction in the direction of “Both teams meet? No” as well as an under bet.
Paraguay – Uruguay Tip
For both teams, this match is a final of sorts, so the pressure on the shoulders of both teams is correspondingly high. The situation is even more precarious for hosts Paraguay, as even a draw could be too little. Uruguay have a better starting position, but any loss of points could also spell doom for the Celeste. A battle game is to be expected and like the two duels in 2021, the prediction for Paraguay against Uruguay is for few goals.
The key betting recommendation for Paraguay vs Uruguay is to bet at good odds on the 1X2 market. Quality advantages as well as the new wind through the completed coaching change speak a clear language for Uruguay here. Of course, the form after four defeats en suite is anything but convincing, but a 2.45 for a team that has much more quality to show seems a bit too high. The odds-to-earnings ratio is extremely positive and therefore six units are used for betting.
