David Flower
Dailysports's expert
The 14th round of the World Cup qualifying tournament will take place on Wednesday in Maturin, where Venezuela will host Peru at the Monumental de Maturin stadium. I suggest betting on goals in this matchup with a good coefficient.
Match Preview
The Venezuelans are experiencing a prolonged winless streak of nine matches, but memories of Fernando Batista's team's brilliant performance in the group stage of the Copa America last summer are still fresh. Back then, "La Vinotinto" won all three matches, defeating Ecuador (2-1), Mexico (1-0), and Jamaica (3-0). In the quarterfinals, Venezuela lost to Canada on penalties and hasn't secured a victory since.
In the last round, the Venezuelans lost to Ecuador away (1-2), but the team is capable of challenging the giants – draws with Argentina and Brazil (1-1) confirm their competitiveness. They are a typical representative of South American football, where much depends on mood and emotions.
In February 2025, Oscar Ibanez replaced Jorge Fossati as the head coach of the Peru national team, and in his debut match achieved a long-awaited victory. Before that, the "Incas" had not impressed in either the Copa America or the World Cup qualifiers.
The new coach opted for a more attacking 4-3-2-1 formation, and it immediately paid off – forwards Andy Polo and Paolo Guerrero became key figures in the match against Bolivia. The 3-1 victory not only improved Peru's chances of fighting for the seventh position but also slowed down one of their main competitors in the race for the playoff spots.
Probable Lineups
- Venezuela: Romo - Aramburu, Ramirez, Ferraresi, Navarro - Casseres, Herrera - Machis, Savarino, Soteldo – Rondon
- Peru: Caceda – Polo, Araujo, Zambrano, Lopez, Callens – Peña, Castillo, Cartagena – Flores, Lapadula
Match Facts and Head-to-Head
- In the first round, the match between these teams ended in a 1-1 draw
- The "Both Teams to Score" bet came through in two out of five matches
- The "Over 2.5 Goals" bet came through in one out of five matches
Prediction
Bookmakers are siding with the home team and offer odds of 2.18 for Venezuela to win. We suggest taking the "Over 1.5 Goals" bet with a coefficient of 1.63. This betting option has come through in Venezuela's last five matches.
