World Cup 2026: Venezuela Caught in a Pickle Against Argentina

Venezuela vs Argentina

Venezuela have a great chance to qualify for World Cup 2026, but they will have to earn it the hard way, especially when Argentina visit them at the Estadio Monumental in Maturin on Thursday.

La Vinotinto, who have 10 points, are clinging to the sixth spot. They must improve their World Cup 2026 results, with Paraguay and Bolivia breathing down their necks.

Meanwhile, Argentina are on the brink of clinching their World Cup berth as we approach the halfway stage. Reaching the mid-20s will almost certainly see them get it, and La Albiceleste are on their way with 18 points.

The odds are clearly stacked against Fernando Batista’s side, but can the hosts spring a surprise at home?

Check out today’s match preview, courtesy of SBOTOP.

 

Talking Points

Can Rondon inspire Venezuela?

The last international break produced mixed feelings for Fernando Batista and co., as they suffered a 4-0 beatdown against Bolivia before holding Uruguay to a goalless draw in what was a spirited effort.

The one thing that’s common in those games is the fact that they didn’t find the back of the net, and that has to change fast.

Venezuela will heavily rely on Salomon Rondon to produce anew. The 35-year-old striker has scored two of La Vinotinto’s six goals in the qualifiers, and he is doing well with Pachuca in Mexico.

Rondon already has 20 goals in 33 games for the Liga MX club, and the former Everton forward will likely be joined by Darwin Machis, Yeferson Soteldo, Eduardo Bello, Jose Martinez, and Telasco Segovia up front.

Tomas Rincon, with 136 caps, will continue to serve as captain for Venezuela as one of their midfield anchors, covering for Yordan Osorio, Nahuel Ferraresi, Jon Aramburu, and Miguel Navarro.

Rafael Romo should continue to man between the sticks for La Vinotinto.

 

Argentina can cope with their key losses

Lionel Scaloni’s squad will look a bit different during this international break.

For starters, he will be without Golden Glove winner Dibu Martinez for both matches against Venezuela and Bolivia because he will serve his two-match ban for his inappropriate behaviour against Colombia last time out.

With the Aston Villa goalkeeper out, Juan Musso and Geronimo Rulli will battle for the No. 1 starting spot.

Argentina will also be without Paulo Dybala, Nicolas Gonzalez, Marcos Acuna, Guido Rodriguez, Matias Soule, Ezequiel Fernandez, Giuliano Simeone, and Alejandro Garnacho.

Meanwhile, Lanus’ Julio Soler and Como’s Nico Paz have been handed a first call-up, while Exequiel Palacios and Facundo Buonanotte are some of the team’s key returnees.

And, of course, there’s Lionel Messi, who will make his first appearance for Argentina since the Copa America final.

Messi sustained an ankle injury during the Copa America final, so he was out for a few weeks. However, the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner has been back in action for Inter Miami lately.

Since his comeback, Messi has started four of Inter Miami’s last six games, scoring five goals.

 

History

Argentina have a three-game winning streak over Venezuela across all competitions. The last time Venezuela won in this fixture was a 3-1 result during an International Friendly on March 22, 2019.

However, Venezuela are unbeaten on home soil during the World Cup 2026 qualifiers, although it is worth noting they haven’t faced a side with Argentina’s firepower.

Lionel Scaloni’s men are the reigning World Cup and Copa America champions, but they are coming off a 2-1 defeat against Colombia last time out during their Copa America final rematch, ending their 12-game winning run across all competitions.

While Argentina won their second straight Copa America in July, Venezuela only went as far as the quarter-finals before losing to Canada via penalties.

Vice-captain Nicolas Otamendi will be making his 120^th appearance for La Albiceleste on Thursday.

 

Betting Tip

The World Cup 2026 odds are lopsided in the visitors’ favour, as expected. Argentina are 1.49 favourites to win, whereas Venezuela are 6.10 underdogs, and a draw is at 3.72 in the 1X2 market.

Given the talent gap between Venezuela and Argentina, the latter might overwhelm the former, much to the chagrin of the home crowd.

La Albiceleste will do it by punching in goals, making alternative bets like Over 2.25 at 1.95, Over 2.50 at 2.20, Total Goal 2-3 at 1.98, or even Total Goal 4-6 at 3.93 viable.

A Correct Score of 3-0 in favour of the visitors – the result of their most recent matchup – is priced at 10.50. On the other hand, any Correct Score predicting an upset for Venezuela offers payouts of at least 13.50.

   

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