Our prediction for this match:
Colombia
Match Time & Date:
07/09/2018
08:00 PM
Prediction: 2-0
Venezuela
The two South American nations Colombia and Venezuela have met on the football field a whopping 45 times so far. Colombia has a much better record, winning 23 times, and Venezuela only seven which means that a third of their head to head contests finished without a winner. Colombia were a contestant in this years World Cup where they recorded two wins in the group stage to book a date with favored England but they lost on penalties in the end. The game will be played at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, Florida. In the run-up to the World Cup, Colombia beat France 3:2 in a friendly but played with varied form. At the World Cup they played tough, but felt unfortunate to lose against England. Venezuela haven’t played a match since November 2017 so it’s impossible to know their form. This looks like an away win.
Highlighted Player (Cristian Zapata):
The versatile Cristian Zapata is a defender who usually plays as a centre back but can be deployed at full-back on either sides. Although he is naturally right-footed, Zapata is equally skillful with both feet which aids his versatility. Currently plying his trade in Serie A with AC Milan, he started his senior professional career with Deportivo Cali.
He later moved to the Serie A club Udinese in 2005 ending up playing 168 games across six seasons with the club. In 2011, he moved to Spain with Villarreal but his stint was short-lived as he came back to Italy next season on loan with Milan.
He signed permanently for Milan in 2013. Zapata has been a Colombian senior international since 2008 and was a member of their 2011 COPA America and 2014 World Cup squads. The 29-year-old is generally solid at the back and quick on the counter making him a menace on the wings.
Highlighted Team (Venezuela):
The Venezuela national team is the member of South American CONMEBOL confederation competing at the international stage since 1938, at the same time fighting for glory and popularity in the country where baseball diverts all of the attention from the sport. With increased popularity of the FIFA World Cup the country found enough motivation and incentive to increase player development and fan support in order to strengthen the cult of the national football team.
However, South American minnows Venezuela have never qualified for the FIFA World Cup and as of 2014 they remain the only CONMEBOL member not to achieve this feat. La Vinotinto have however appeared in 15 Copa America tournament with their first entry coming in 1967. Their best result was the fourth-place finish in 2011 and under the new leadership of Rafael Dudamet, Venezuela are looking for an upset at Copa America Centenario.
The most prominent player of the Venezuela national team is New York Cosmos midfielder Juan Arango who is the team’s top scorer and the player with most caps.
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