World Cup 2026: Colombia Aim to Stay Unblemished in El Alto

Bolivia vs Colombia

Colombia will stake their undefeated run here in the CONMEBOL World Cup 2026 qualifiers when they visit Bolivia in their new home venue, the El Alto Municipal Stadium, on Thursday evening.

With four wins and four draws, Los Cafeteros are in a good position to qualify for the quadrennial meet. However, Colombia still have a long way to go in this competition, so they cannot let their guard down.

Colombia remain second behind Argentina. Meanwhile, Bolivia are in eighth place.

Oscar Villegas’ side has built some momentum in the previous international break and is hoping to sustain it when they head back home.

Despite a huge gap between Bolivia and Colombia in the table, the pre-game SBOTOP betting odds predict a close game on Thursday.

Without further ado, continue reading below for the preview of this contest.

 

Talking Points

It’s not too late for Bolivia

After starting the competition with three consecutive losses, Bolivia improved their chances by winning three of their last five, including back-to-back wins over Venezuela (4-0) and Chile (2-1), which happened following the appointment of Oscar Villegas after the Copa America.

Remember, the Top 6 teams will directly qualify for the World Cup, and Bolivia only trail by two points behind fifth-seeded Brazil and sixth-seeded Venezuela. But in order to make it, La Verde must be near perfect at home to have a chance.

Bolivia have one of the youngest and most inexperienced teams in the CONMEBOL region, especially with veterans Carlos Lampe and Henry Vaca on the sidelines. As things stand, only one player in the current squad has at least 40 caps.

Oscar Villegas has called Alejandro Torres, Jhon Velasquez, Bruno Miranda, and Jose Martinez, four new faces, to reinforce the team, but the men to look out for if you’re Colombia are Carmelo Algaranaz and Miguel Terceros.

Algaranaz and Terceros have found the back of the net for Bolivia during their two-game winning streak, with the former playing at the No. 9 and the latter either as the No. 10 or in the wings.

 

Duran could strut his stuff with Colombia

Unlike Bolivia, Colombia have more firepower because they’re stacked with European players. While James Rodriguez has been nothing short of inspiring for Los Cafeteros lately, it is Jhon Duran who is in spectacular form right now.

Duran recently secured a new contract extension with Aston Villa that will prolong his stay until 2030 since he earned the reputation as a super sub after having scored five goals in all competitions so far this season.

Because he is banging in form, Nestor Lorenzo should start him over Jhon Cordoba as the national team’s central striker.

Duran will also be joined up front by Luis Diaz, who should have fresh legs after he was rotated off the bench during their 1-0 win over Crystal Palace.

 

History

Colombia are undefeated in their last 13 matches against Bolivia across all competitions (W10, D3). The last time Bolivia beat Los Cafeteros was a 4-0 result during a World Cup qualifying game on September 9, 2003.

Los Cafeteros are still unbeaten in regulation under head coach Nestor Lorenzo, who has now taken charge of 28 games. The only blemish to his record was Colombia’s extra-time loss against Argentina during this year’s Copa America final.

Nestor Lorenzo’s men secured back-to-back 3-0 victories over Bolivia in their last two encounters in all competitions.

Bolivia are aiming to qualify for the World Cup for the first time since 1994. La Verde have never made it out of the group stage in the quadrennial meet.

Colombia have the same objective as Bolivia, as their last World Cup appearance was in 2018. The farthest they’ve gone through in the World Cup was advancing to the Round of 16 twice in their history.

 

Betting Tip

As mentioned, the World Cup 2026 odds expect Bolivia and Colombia to battle it out on Thursday. Colombia and Bolivia are priced to win at 2.54 and 2.64, respectively. Meanwhile, a draw is at 3.03 in the 1X2 market.

Don’t expect too many goals from Bolivia and Colombia, even if their recent meetings featured a handful of them. But, either way, Colombia should be able to create their share of World Cup 2026 highlights. Over 2.00 at 1.70 and Over 2.25 at 2.09 are fair bets, but Total Goal 2-3 at 1.97 might be the safer option. However, if you’re leaning towards our premise, then check out Total Goal 0-1, given its 2.59 offer.

   

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