Will Chile win for the third time in a row?
The Chilean national team has not yet ticked off its qualification for the 2022 World Cup. Six matchdays before the end of the South American World Cup qualifiers, Chile still have a realistic chance of reaching the prestigious competition for the tenth time in the association’s history.
However, “La Roja” is still under pressure to win. The team of national coach Martin Lasarte recently set the course for a comeback in the group with two victories in a row. At present, Chile are only three points away from a direct place in the 2022 World Cup, making the next away game in Paraguay all the more important.
In contrast to the Chileans, Paraguay got off to a promising start in the 2022 World Cup qualifiers. Since then, however, the Paraguayan national team has folded and has already slipped to eighth place in the table. Most recently, there were even two defeats in a row for “Los Guaraníes”.
Among other things, Paraguay also lost the away match against Chile in the first round of the 2022 World Cup qualifiers. If the next defeat against “La Roja” beckons, odds of 3.00 are paid out for a bet on the visitors in Paraguay vs Chile. Bets on this are definitely worthwhile, after all, the Chileans are in much better shape.
Paraguay – Statistics & current form
Paraguay look set to miss out on a third successive World Cup finals. Six matchdays before the end of World Cup qualifying in the CONMEBOL zone, the Paraguayan national team sits a distant eighth.
Meanwhile, although the gap to a starting spot for the 2022 World Cup is only four points, there are few arguments to support a Paraguayan comeback. Los Guaraníes” have lost four of their last seven qualifying matches. Most recently, there were even two defeats in a row, in which the negative trend in the offensive continued.
At least Paraguay remained without a goal for the third time in a row. After the commendable performance against Argentina, in which Paraguay picked up an important point after a goalless draw, there was a defeat in Chile (0:2) and a bitter away loss in Bolivia (0:4). In total, they have conceded six goals in their last two internationals.
Home advantage as trump card?
Because Paraguay have lost only one home game at their own stadium since October 2017, “Los Guaraníes” are confident going into the second-round match against Chile. In their last three home games, Paraguay have won against Venezuela and drawn points with Argentina and Colombia.
Paraguay have not lost a home match against their upcoming opponents from Chile since June 2013. Since then, however, the two nations have met only once in Paraguay. The World Cup qualifying match almost five years ago was won 2-1 by Paraguay.
For the current international break, head coach Guillermo Barros Schelotto, who will make his debut as Paraguay’s national coach against Chile, was able to nominate most of his top performers. It is not yet clear which starting eleven the Argentinean will field against the Chileans. If Schelotto makes a successful debut, odds of 2.60 for tip 1 on Paraguay vs Chile will be paid out.
Predicted Paraguay line-up:
Silva; Alonso, Gomez, Balbuena, Escobar; Villasanti, Lucena, Sanchez; Almiron, Sanabria, Romero
Last matches played by Paraguay:
World Cup – CONMEBOL Qualifiers
10/14 2021 – Bolivia 4 – 0 Paraguay
10/11 2021 – Chile 2 – 0 Paraguay
10/08 2021 – Paraguay 0 – 0 Argentina
09/10 2021 – Paraguay 2 – 1 Venezuela
09/06 2021 – Paraguay 1 – 1 Colombia
Chile – Statistics & current form
Chile got off to a false start in their current 2022 World Cup qualifying campaign, picking up just one win from their opening eight matchdays. The last two matchdays were therefore all the more important and trend-setting, as the Chileans managed at least a small liberation blow. After two home victories in a row, the gap to a starting place for the 2022 World Cup is now only three points.
The aim now is to continue this winning streak away from home. To do so, La Roja must overcome their persistent weakness away from home. The last time Chile won an international match away from home was in June 2021 at the Copa America. Since then, they have mostly suffered defeats. The last time Chile won an away match in a World Cup qualifier was in March 2016.
Nevertheless, it cannot be ruled out that a prediction on the visitors in Paraguay vs Chile will come true. In the first leg, Chile beat the Paraguayans 2-0 just a few months ago. In the process, “La Roja” had even kept its clean sheet in the final phase despite being shorthanded.
Can Chile reduce the deficit?
In Paraguay, Chile also have a record of 2-1-2 in their last five away matches. Accordingly, the Chileans will hardly hide at their upcoming opponents. The performance of the Chilean back line will be crucial.
Before the two most recent results against Paraguay (2-0) and Venezuela (3-0), “La Roja” had statistically one of the weakest defences in the current 2022 World Cup qualifiers in the CONMEBOL zone. The Chilean defence was particularly shaky away from home. After all, they have conceded ten goals in six away games.
National coach Martin Lasarte, like his upcoming opponents, was spared any personnel worries during the current international break. Chile will start in their best line-up and can also rely on star players such as Vidal, Sanchez & Co. By the way, Alexis Sanchez is still the record scorer in the Chilean ranks, closely followed by Eduardo Vargas, who was also called up to the national squad this time.
Predicted line-up of Chile:
Bravo; Vegas, Maripan, Medel, Isla; Valdes, Pulgar, Vidal; Sanchez, Jimenez, Brereton Diaz
Last matches played by Chile:
World Cup – CONMEBOL Qualifiers
10/15 2021 – Chile 3 – 0 Venezuela
10/11 2021 – Chile 2 – 0 Paraguay
10/08 2021 – Peru 2 – 0 Chile
09/10 2021 – Colombia 3 – 1 Chile
09/05 2021 – Ecuador 0 – 0 Chile
Paraguay – Chile Direct Comparison / H2H Balance
This is the 65th time the two nations have met. So far, the direct comparison is largely even. Paraguay have just one more win than the Chilean national team. With a record of 29-7-28, the Paraguayans currently lead the direct comparison.
In the last four international matches between the two nations, Paraguay celebrated three victories over Chile. Only the last encounter in the first leg of the current 2022 World Cup qualifiers went to the Chilean national team.
Paraguay – Chile Tip
Chile still have a realistic chance of qualifying for the 2022 World Cup six matchdays before the end. After two victories in a row, the Chilean national team recently reduced the gap to the starting places for the 2022 World Cup. If the next victory beckons, the gap will even shrink to one point in the best possible scenario.
Chile won their home game against their upcoming opponents from Paraguay during the last international break. This also ended “La Roja’s” ongoing negative streak against the Paraguayans. After all, there had previously been three defeats in a row against “Los Guaraníes”.
After the defeat against Chile, Paraguay also lost the international match against Bolivia, so the association pulled the ripcord and dismissed the national coach. Guillermo Barros Schelotto was introduced as his successor less than a month ago. The Argentinean will make his debut as Paraguay’s national coach in the home match against Chile.
With such a short time to settle in, it remains to be seen whether Schelotto can provide the desired impetus. Chile have tasted blood after two wins in a row and approach the Paraguayan hurdle with confidence. The high odds on a Chilean victory are definitely worthwhile and can be recommended for risk-averse bettors.
We decide to bet on Paraguay vs Chile with good odds on “more goals in the 2nd half”. A prediction on this already paid off in the first leg between the two nations. For this, we choose a stake of five units.
