Paraguay, Chile in Must-Win Situation

Both will have several key players back, which means no more excuses allowed. Let’s check the latest news, stats, injury reports, and soccer odds for Paraguay vs Chile. We’ve plenty of predictions for you to consider.

Competition: Qatar 2022 World Cup Qualifiers
Location: Estadio Defensores del Chaco, Asuncion, Paraguay
Time: Thursday, 6 p.m. ET
TV: beIN Sports
Live Stream: fuboTV

World Cup Qualifiers South America Betting Lines

Head to Head

• Previous Matches: 64
• Paraguay Victories: 29 (91 goals)
• Chile Victories: 28 (89 goals)
• Draws: 7

The first leg ended with a 2-0 victory for Chile in Santiago. The home side won despite playing the last 15 minutes of the game with only 10 players. Ben Brereton and Mauricio Isla were the scorers. The last time they met in Asuncion, Paraguay won 2-1.

If there’s something you can expect from these two, it’s goals. Regarding the WCQ, they’ve never drawn 0-0 when playing against each other. Also, the total went over two goals in four of their last six meetings.

On the Rise

After a very rocky start, Chile managed to turn things around. Most recently, they beat Venezuela 3-0 at home. Venezuela isn’t a powerhouse or anything like it, but  Chile got the victory without any doubt.

Besides winning their last two games, they also showed some improvement on both sides of the field. Offensively, they scored five goals. Brereton and Erick Pulgar scored two goals each, allowing them to regain a lot of confidence. Defensively, they finished with a clean sheet in both games.

Victor Davila will be back. The striker has had a great season with Leon in the Liga MX. He’s one of the league’s top scorers with six goals. Davila, Brereton, Alexis Sanchez and Eduardo Vargas are one of the best attacking units in the region.

Chile hasn’t been a productive soccer pick when playing on the road. They own a 0-2-3 record in their last five games. They scored in three of those games, failing to do so only against Ecuador and Peru. Also, they finished with a clean sheet only once.

Edson Puch and Charles Aranguiz won’t be available due to injury. The thing is that no matter who plays, Chile must go all-in. They sit in sixth place with 13 points, three less than Uruguay. Luis Suarez and company will visit Argentina, meaning there’s a big chance they will lose. Chile must take advantage of that.

Go Big or Go Home

Paraguay can’t afford to lose, either. They currently sit in eighth place with 12 points, nine goals for and 17 against. Only Venezuela, currently in last place, has scored fewer goals.

If Paraguay loses, they could even fall to ninth place with only five games left. A seven-point difference between them and fifth place could be too much to handle.

The weird thing is that Paraguay doesn’t have a bad team. Quite the contrary. Their roster includes Angel Romero, one of the qualifiers’ top scorers with four goals. It also includes Miguel Almiron, who plays for Newcastle in the English Premier League.

Paraguay hasn’t been a reliable betting online option even when playing at home, but they must win. They own a 1-3-1 record in their last five games in Asuncion, scoring in three of them. They also allowed two goals in three of those games.

Head coach Guillermo Barros Schelotto, who has plenty of experience, signed with the team less than a month ago. Having a new perspective and style of play could be Paraguay’s best shot to pull off an upset. After all, players will be eager to convince the new coaching staff.

Final Analysis, Predictions

Right now, Chile is the better team, but Paraguay has a sense of urgency. Schelotto is known for having an offensive mindset, but they’ve to be careful because the visitors can be deadly on the counterattack. Playing at home, Paraguay should take the reins right from the start. That’s also why I expect both to score. Paraguay must, and Chile scored in 75 percent of their games.

Don’t forget to check the props our sportsbook is offering for this and other games to increase your winning chances. Our score prediction is offering a +500 price, while two exact total goals are +240.

Score Prediction: Paraguay 1, Chile 1

Pick: Draw (+225)