On Wednesday, September 10, the participant in the playoff matches for the World Cup from South America will be determined. It will be either Venezuela or Bolivia. The seventh place in the final round is the key intrigue. Venezuela needs to win against Colombia to settle all questions. A draw will not help: if points are tied, Bolivia will end up behind anyway. Currently, Venezuela has one point more. Colombia has no sporting motivation – qualification has already been secured.

The Venezuelan national team has a historic opportunity to qualify for the World Cup. It is the only team from South America that has never played in the main tournament for national teams. Venezuela has never been this close to the World Cup.

The squad is rather modest – there are no stars from the top leagues in Europe. Venezuela is holding the seventh position thanks to home matches. The national team has already caused several sensations at home – they have not lost to anyone on their ground. They have earned 16 points at home, while only two away.

In their last match, Venezuela was defeated by a demotivated Argentina. The reigning world champions thrashed the underdog 3-0. The Venezuelans conceded two goals from Leo Messi. Perhaps there was not much motivation for this match – all efforts are directed towards the game against Colombia.

The Colombians will definitely have an experimental lineup. The main squad worked hard in the last match. The Colombians crushed Bolivia and secured a place in the top 6 of the qualifying round. A solid quartet has formed in the attacking line: James Rodríguez, John Arias, Luis Díaz, and John Córdoba. This combination could make some noise at the World Cup. However, in Venezuela – it is unlikely. The coaching staff will surely conduct substantial rotation.

Players like Jorge Carrascal, Juan Quintero, Luis Suárez, and other reserves are expected to get their chance in the 18th round. This will ease the task for the hosts somewhat.

The bookmakers are somewhat surprising with their odds: Venezuela is a big favourite. A victory for the hosts is expected, although the recent head-to-head matches suggest otherwise. Colombia is an extremely difficult opponent for the "cafeteros". There have been no wins in nine consecutive encounters. However, one can agree on the basic total of two goals. Venezuelans are currently proceeding through the qualifiers with less than a goal per game. A cautious match without unnecessary risk is anticipated. It should be noted that a lot will depend on the parallel match in Bolivia. If Brazil secures an advantage there, a draw here could easily be seen. The probability of a total exceeding is also likely to increase. In the first round, Colombia secured a hard-fought victory with a score of 1-0.