Venezuela vs Argentina: Match Preview, Odds & Prediction

In the CONMEBOL qualification for the 2026 World Cup, Venezuela and Argentina will face off in Monagas on Thursday night. Leonel Messi and his teammates are eager to maintain their impressive start to the tournament.

Previous Matches and Head to head

The hosts were unable to replicate the form that propelled them to the quarterfinals of the Copa America during the September international break. The most recent international break was initiated by Fernando Batista's team, which suffered an ignominious 4-0 loss to Bolivia. Subsequently, they were unable to score in their subsequent match, which ended in a goalless draw with Uruguay. This week's situation could potentially worsen, given that La Vinotinto has also failed to strike in two of their last three meetings with the Argentinians.

In contrast, Argentina has executed nearly every action correctly since winning the World Cup. In the 22 contests since the final in Qatar, Lionel Scaloni's team has conceded defeat in only two, resulting in a record-breaking 19 victories. During that period, the Blue and Whites also won the Copa America trophy and are presently leading the Qualifying for the 2026 World Cup.

Venezuela x Argentina Team News

Head coach Fernando Batista has included Daniel Pereira Gil in the squad for this month's match against Argentina and Paraguay.

In September, Pereira made his fifth appearance for Venezuela in a loss to Bolivia, playing 58 minutes. The 24-year-old will be anticipating a starting position in the middle of the field on Thursday.

Lionel Messi has returned to the Argentina national team squad following his absence from the September international break as a result of an ankle injury.

The 37-year-old is likely to be included in the starting lineup on Thursday after claiming another trophy with Inter Miami, this time in the MLS, following their victory over Philadelphia Union last week.

Paulo Dybala, Lautaro Martínez, Alejandro Garnacho, Julián Álvarez, Alexis MacAllister, Enzo Fernández, and Lisandro Martínez are among the notable players in the squad that Lionel Scaloni has selected.

Our Predictions

Over 2.5 goals @ 2.10 on Sky247.ng

Although Venezuela has failed to score in their last two matches, their scoring record against the Argentinian national team is not too shabby, with Fernando Batista's team netting a total of eight goals in the last seven encounters between the two nations. Five of those encounters yielded profitable wagers on the number of goals scored over 2.5, and I anticipate a comparable outcome on Thursday.

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