Paraguay vs. Chile: WCQ Match Preview, Odds & Predictions

Asuncion will play host to Chile in Thursday night's CONMEBOL qualification match, continuing Paraguay's quest to qualify for the World Cup for the first time since 2010.

After a four-month hiatus, qualification is about to resume, and La Albirroja is in sixth place, with the last automatic qualifying slot. Meanwhile, Chile is off to a horrible start but might make a late assault.

Previous Matches and Head-to-head

Paraguay has improved its record and has been more entertaining to watch after a run of lackluster performances in qualification.

Surprisingly, Paraguay has managed to rack up seven points from their first twelve qualifiers, with ten of those points coming in the final three games (six for and four against).

After losing their first nine matches with only ten points, Gustavo Alfaro's Paraguayan squad bounced back with a win against Venezuela in October and a pair of impressive November wins.

Paraguay stunned the continent by defeating Argentina to kick off November's matches, and they battled hard to gain a point in Bolivia, an altitude where many teams have failed.

With a four-point lead over second-place Uruguay and just one point separating them from Brazil, Paraguay will be hoping for a playoff berth.

Even though Paraguay has won all of its qualifying matches 0-0, they will be cautious after a 3-0 loss to Chile in a friendly just before last summer's Copa America.

After a slow but steady climb, the Chilean national team now seems to be where coach Ricardo Gareca wants it to be; recent wins and solid performances have revived their prospects of advancing to the finals.

After being out of the playoff picture, Chile will again feel they have a chance to advance thanks to the South American qualification's marathon, which is not a sprint nature.

Their 4-2 victory against Venezuela on matchday 12 propelled them to the top of the standings. With six games to go in the section, they are just four points off of a playoff spot.

Unfortunately, La Roja lost to Brazil in late October. A few days before their pivotal victory against Venezuela, they drew 0-0 in Peru.

Considering that they played Panama in a friendly last month, outside of the FIFA-sanctioned international window, and that several of the first-team players were there, their 6-1 victory could be considered; nonetheless, their games this month are very difficult.

Any South American qualifying away game is challenging, and next week, they'll face an in-form Ecuadorian team in Santiago. However, if they can get two wins, they'll be in a great position to steal seventh place from Venezuela and Bolivia.

Paraguay x Chile Team News

Paraguay captain Gustavo Gomez has been kept at home as a precaution to prevent him from worsening his condition. He returned from injury last weekend as a late substitution for Palmeiras.

Santiago Arzamendia is a surprise omission from a young squad that includes just two players with more than 50 caps, and Fluminense's Ruben Lezcano is one of the potential debutants here.

Julio Enciso will hope for better fortunes at international level compared to what he has endured with Ipswich Town recently. His injury-time strike salvaged a point for La Albirroja against Bolivia last time out.

After many newcomers were named in the squad for the one-off friendly against Panama last month, Gareca has reverted to a more familiar team here.

Following a difficult injury stint for Norwich City, Marcelino Nunez will not be participating in the team, joining the likes of Williams Alarcon and Erick Pulgar, who are also unavailable.

Injuries have sidelined Marcelo Morales and Fabian Hormazabal from the defense, but the likes of Alexis Sanchez, Arturo Vidal, Eduardo Vargas, and Charles Aranguiz—a group with a combined 529 caps—ensure that there is no shortage of experience.

Our predictions

Full-time draw @ 3.25 on Sky247.ng

Despite Paraguay's recent resurgence, a scoreless draw is easy to predict when they're involved. However, the two teams haven't done much to distinguish themselves in recent form, so a tight matchup in Asuncion is likely.

Although a win would be ideal for Paraguay, which would remain comfortably in the top six, a draw would still be good for Chile, which needs to make the most of its remaining home games.

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