Uruguay vs Venezuela: WCQ Match Preview, Odds & Prediction

Uruguay meets playoff-chasing Venezuela at Estadio Centenario on Tuesday to try to improve their World Cup 2026 qualification fortunes.

La Celeste seeks to avoid another loss to fight off their visitors' charge in CONMEBOL qualification, where Marcelo Bielsa's team is winless in four meetings.

Previous Matches and Head-to-head

Out-of-form  Uruguay face uncertainty in their 16th qualifying match for next year's tournament.

Four victories from six matches, one loss, and one tie put Bielsa's team in a good position in qualifying.

However, Los Charruas since lost their form, winning just one more match, 3-2, against Colombia in November 2024.

Uruguay's goalless draws with Paraguay, Venezuela, and Ecuador, and their loss to Peru, have been a significant concern for Bielsa's squad, given their eight losses.

La Celeste has only scored once in the last four matches, a 1-1 tie in Brazil, and they have lost to Argentina (1-0) and Paraguay (2-0), sandwiched between a goalless encounter in Bolivia.

The seventh-placed opponents will want to beat the two-time world champions on Tuesday to keep them worried. They are in fifth position, the last of the six direct qualifying slots.

Fernando Batista's squad started matchday 16, three points behind Bielsa's team after the Red Wine had won back-to-back rounds while the Sky Blue had just one point from six.

La Vinotinto opened qualification with two victories from four matches (one defeat) and looked bright as early outsiders for their first World Cup in 2026.

However, a nine-match losing streak seemed to dash that hope.

Batista's squad has moved up to seventh position, the Inter-confederation playoff slot, after beating Peru and Bolivia. Uruguay and Colombia are three points ahead, while Brazil is four points behind.

The visitors are aware of Venezuela's two consecutive victories without a goal.

Uruguay vs Venezuela Team News

Joaquin Piquerez replaced Mathias Olivera at halftime against Paraguay and might start ahead of the Napoli left-back.

Without Darwin Nunez, who tops La Celeste's scoring charts with four goals, Bielsa's squad must find ways to score for the fourth qualifier in a row.

Salomon Rondon has scored five of Venezuela's 15 qualifying goals, accounting for 33.3% of the away team's total, and aims to be a key player for La Vinotinto.

José Andrés Martínez and Telasco Segovia, who excelled in various midfield roles for Batista's squad, are anticipated to start this crucial match against the two-time world champions.

Our Predictions

Full-time draw @ 3.95 on Sky247.ng

Uruguay might win narrowly against Venezuela, which has lost its last four away matches in qualifying, but La Celeste has failed to score in three of its previous home encounters in the series, suggesting both teams could split the points.

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