Venezuela vs Bolivia prediction, H2H and probable lineups — June 7, 2025
As part of the South American qualifiers for the World Cup, Venezuela and Bolivia are set to square off. The match will take place in Maturín in the early hours of Saturday, June 7. Kick-off is scheduled for 00:00 Central European Time. I'm tipping this game to be a productive one in terms of goals.
Match preview
Venezuela remains the only CONMEBOL nation never to have reached the World Cup finals or claimed a Copa América medal. In the previous two qualification cycles, the team finished bottom—10th place—of the group each time.
This time, under Batista, the squad is holding steady in the middle of the South American qualifying table. They’ve looked organized and resilient, especially on home soil. In recent rounds, Venezuela has played pragmatic but consistent football—often relying on a solid defense and making the most of set pieces.
Remarkably, 13 out of Venezuela’s 15 points have come at home, conceding just two goals in the process. The team currently sits seventh, a position that would earn them a playoff spot—but holding on to it will be a real challenge. Next up is Bolivia, and after that come daunting fixtures against Argentina, Uruguay, and Colombia.
Bolivia has featured at the World Cup three times, but all those appearances came last century. Since 1994, they haven’t tasted success in the qualifiers, and that winless run has stretched on.
Like their upcoming opponents, Bolivia has a dreadful away record. Under Villegas, they've picked up just three points on the road, yet still have a fair shot at finishing seventh.
After this key clash with Venezuela, Bolivia will face Chile, Colombia, and Brazil. It’s a tough run-in, but there’s a chance that the last two opponents may have already secured their World Cup berths by then.
Bolivia’s defensive struggles deserve special mention. In 14 matches, they’ve shipped a staggering 30 goals—the worst record by far in South America. Most of those goals have come away from home, and they’ve managed to score just four times on the road.
Match facts
- Venezuela has scored in seven straight matches, but has won only one of them.
- Venezuela is unbeaten at home for over three years.
- Bolivia is winless in five consecutive matches.
- Bolivia has lost their last three away games by a combined score of 1:13.
- Venezuela averages one goal per home game; Bolivia averages 0.6 goals per away game.
Probable lineups
- Venezuela: Romo, Aramburu, Angel, Gonzalez, Ferraresi, Soteldo, Martinez, Herrera, Quintero, Martinez, Rondon.
- Bolivia: Viscarra, Morales, Akin, Medina, Sagredo, Robson, Villamil, Cuéllar, Vaca, Abrego, Migelito.
H2H
- The last nine head-to-head meetings between these sides have produced at least four goals each.
- Bolivia hasn't beaten Venezuela away since 2008.
Prediction
Venezuela plays well at home and hasn't lost there for a long spell, but draws are frequent, with victories less common. Bolivia’s away form is a major concern, as road games have often ended badly for them. Bookmakers make the hosts heavy favorites, but this match promises to be fiercely contested. Given the high-scoring nature of their recent head-to-head clashes, I expect more goals this time as well. My pick is over 2 goals in total.
