Venezuela vs Brazil: Match Preview, Odds & Prediction

Brazil will return to their World Cup qualification journey on Thursday night by traveling to Venezuela.

Previous Matches and Head-to-head

First up, the hosts. Although Venezuela might return on Thursday night, having come dangerously close to a top-six finish, Fernando Batista's squad is in the thick of things. La Vinotinto have won just two of their ten World Cup qualifying matches this past year, with their most recent setback coming on October 16th, a 2-1 defeat at the hands of Paraguay.

The hosts from midweek are winless in their last five matches across all competitions, and they lost their first qualification match 1-0 away to Colombia fourteen months ago. Fresh off their disappointment in the quarterfinal loss to Canada on penalties in the Copa America last summer, Venezuela could face another tough test in this match.

Regarding the guests, South American powerhouses Brazil finally found their form last month despite showing some genuine inconsistency since beginning their World Cup qualification journey last year. Dorival Junior will be hoping for a similar performance from his team, which last displayed when they rolled over Peru 4-0.

Similarly, the Selecao have won their last two matches in a row for the first time since September 2023 and have accumulated nine points from their last four qualifying matches. The former Flamengo manager is looking for a way to relieve some of the strain, so Brazil should be looking for a chance on Thursday night.

It is worth mentioning that the midweek visitors won their most recent trip to Venezuela in October 2021 with a score of 3-1.

Venezuela x Brazil Team News

Batista may have benched Eric Ramirez and Jhon Murillo last month, but now they're both back on the team. Unfortunately, Franklin Barreto and William Cuevas have been removed from Venezuela's roster due to injuries and will not be available for the next two weeks.

Salomon Rondon, who broke the club record for most goals scored in a season, may have turned 35 in September, but that won't stop the former Everton striker from starting for Batista on Thursday. This season, Girona's Yangel Herrera will start in the center of the field for their Champions League football match.

Brazil should have included Endrick on their roster since he has only played a small amount of La Liga minutes since joining Real Madrid, a Spanish powerhouse, in the summer. Even though 24-year-old Vinicius Junior, a superstar for Los Blancos, may have been out injured last month, he is back in training with the Selecao.

Ederson of Manchester City will start in goal for Thursday night's match against Liverpool since Alisson Becker is still out with a hamstring injury. Last week, Real Madrid stars Eder Militao and Rodrygo suffered long-term injuries that prevented them from participating in Brazil's national team.

Our Predictions

Brazil to win @ 1.60 on Sky247.ng

Brazil will realize how important it is to make another statement hereafter, seemingly getting a much-needed lift last month with straight World Cup qualification triumphs. The South American giants aim to escape a banana peel on Thursday night after achieving back-to-back wins for the first time since September of last year.

They have a dominating record against the midweek hosts, and they should be thrilled after winning 3-1 on their previous trip to Venezuela in October 2021. We anticipate a triumph on the road since they have won their last eleven matches across all competitions.