Uzbekistan vs Venezuela: prediction, head-to-head, and probable line-ups – 30 March 2026

One of the international friendlies will take place on Monday at the Budenkor Arena in Tashkent, where the Uzbekistan national team will host Venezuela. The hosts are playing their last home match before the World Cup, while the visitors are embarking on a new cycle with a refreshed squad and clearly defined ambitions. I'm offering a bet on the outcome of this clash, which comes with promising odds for success.

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Match preview

Uzbekistan approaches this fixture in solid form and with a sense of a team coming of age. After securing qualification for the World Cup, the hosts haven’t lost their edge: a 3-1 victory over Gabon extended an impressive run during which they’ve only lost to Uruguay, while dominating other matches thanks to discipline, movement, and increasingly confident game management. The big question is how Fabio Cannavaro will rotate his squad for this game. The manager was criticized for fielding too many reserves against Gabon, but now, with the last home appearance before the 2026 World Cup, it’s logical to expect a line-up closer to the first-choice eleven.

Husanov could feature, and once again, much in attack will revolve around Shomurodov, who has already scored against both Gabon and Kuwait. Another trump card for the hosts is the home environment, which for this team has long been more than just geography. Matches against Iran, Qatar, UAE, and Oman showed that Uzbekistan can not only endure at home but also dictate the tempo, and with 20 goals in their last ten home games, this side no longer looks cautious or constrained up front.

Venezuela arrives after a managerial change and with a clear desire to erase the bitter memories of their disastrous qualifying campaign. The team lost their last three qualification games with a combined score of 3:11, but in the new cycle they’ve already beaten Australia 1-0, lost 0-2 to Canada, and then turned things around against Trinidad and Tobago with a powerful second-half performance to claim victory.

Yet, Venezuela remains a side heavily reliant on standout leaders. Oswaldo Vizcarrondo is refreshing the squad, but Salomón Rondón remains the undisputed figurehead up front: the veteran is still the focal point of the attack and came off the bench to score a brace in the last game. The problem is elsewhere – their away record is alarmingly poor: seven straight away defeats and 13 road games without a win set a worrying backdrop for their trip to Uzbekistan.

Probable line-ups

• Uzbekistan: Yusupov, Eshmuradov, Husanov, Ashurmatov, Nasrullaev, Shukurov, Khamrobekov, Alidjanov, Uronov, Ganiev, Shomurodov.
• Venezuela: Varela, Alfonso, Aramburu, Osio, Balbo, Gonzalez, Segovia, Casseres, Mendoza, Rondón, Lamadrid.

Match facts and head-to-head

• Uzbekistan confidently defeated Gabon 3-1 in their last match
• Venezuela started the new cycle with a win over Trinidad and Tobago, but come into this game with a run of seven consecutive away defeats.
• The previous head-to-head between Uzbekistan and Venezuela ended in a 1-1 draw.

Prediction

This is a match where both sides’ motivation is clear as day. Uzbekistan will want to sign off their home preparations for the world stage in style, while Venezuela will aim to show that their rebuilding is already bearing real fruit, not just emotional buzz after the coaching change. However, the hosts have several key advantages: familiar home turf, stronger current momentum, and an opponent whose away form has been woeful. The basic pick here is that Uzbekistan won't lose, and if you want a more specific outcome, a draw looks like the most logical scenario for this match.