Bolivia, Chile Duke it Out

• Game: Bolivia vs Chile
• Location: Estadio Hernando Siles, La Paz, Bolivia
• Date/Time: Tuesday, 3 p.m. ET

Bolivia vs Chile Betting Preview

Head to Head

This has been an incredibly competitive fixture in recent years. In a 10-day span last June, these teams drew 1-1 in a qualifier in Chile and Chile won 1-0 in the Copa America. The last three competitive matches are even, as Bolivia won a 2017 qualifier in La Paz.

The last six meetings have been decided by a one-goal margin or ended in a draw. However, Chile was retroactively awarded a 3-0 win in a 2016 qualifier because Bolivia fielded a player who had previously represented Paraguay.

Do or Die For Bolivia

Ten-man Bolivia were disappointingly thrashed 4-1 by last-place Venezuela over the weekend. Salomon Rondon lit up Bolivia’s defense for a hat trick, and a red card from Leonel Arauz complicated matters further.

The key midfielder will miss this match for Bolivia and that could potentially mean an opportunity for Fernando Saucedo. There was some hope that Bolivia could pick up all three points on the road for the first time in qualifiers, but they continued a frightening trend.

In these qualifiers, La Verde are an abysmal 0-6-2 on the road and have been outscored 25-6. At home, Bolivia has been one of the better soccer picks at 4-2-1 and have a plus-8 goal difference. Undoubtedly, playing in the world’s highest capital city has something to do with that, as La Paz rises almost 12,000 feet above sea level and the altitude serves as a competitive advantage.

Now, facing one of the only two teams that they got a result against on the road, Bolivia must get all three points to keep its hopes alive. They do have CONMEBOL’s leading scorer in these qualifiers, Marcelo Martins, on their side but he was quiet vs Venezuela.

It needs to be all hands on deck in one of the biggest matches of Cesar Farias’ managerial tenure. His side is four points behind fifth-place Uruguay, which currently occupies the intercontinental playoff spot and faces Venezuela at home, so anything short of a win won’t cut it.

Last Chance for Chile’s Stars

Despite some recent Copa America successes, Chile is in danger of failing to qualify for a second consecutive World Cup. What’s more concerning is that this could be the last chance to make a run with this generation of players, which includes standouts in their 30s like Alexis Sanchez, Eduardo Vargas, Charles Aranguiz, and Gary Medel.

La Roja looked done and dusted after their match with Peru in October as they had only picked up seven points in their first 10 qualifiers. They rattled off three consecutive shutout wins in October and November to get back in the qualification race. Also If you’re looking for more exciting soccer action, check out the Copa Sudamericana match between Club Nacional and Atletico Go on BetUS Sportsbook.

Since then, they’ve dropped home matches to both Ecuador and Argentina and, like Bolivia, are on life support. Most recently, they dominated possession vs a Messi-less Argentina but fell 2-1.

English-born Blackburn Rovers striker Ben Brereton Diaz scored his fourth goal in 10 matches for Chile on a brilliant looping header. The 22-year-old is a sign that there are future stars emerging on an aging Chile squad.

Even with the loss to Argentina, a win will certainly keep La Roja right in the running. They face a Brazil side that has already clinched a spot in Qatar and Uruguay in March, and the latter match could have monumental qualification ramifications.

Expect Chile’s aging stars to fight valiantly here to have a last chance at World Cup glory. Just note that Chile has been one of the worst picks for betting online away from home. They’re 1-4-3 in qualifiers

Prediction

This is a very tough one to call. One one hand, Chile is obviously the better team on paper. But, their away form is incredibly concerning and they don’t play at this altitude often. However, they did manage a draw vs Ecuador in Quito, which is the second-highest capital city in the world.

I would assume both teams would be petrified of losing because it would almost certainly mean they’re out of the running for qualification. With that in mind, expect a low-scoring match and take under 2½ goals in the sportsbook.

Pick: Under 2½ goals (-150)