Paraguay vs Uruguay

Estadio General Pablo Rojas is the venue as Paraguay and Uruguay are set to battle tooth and nail to get back in contention for qualifying for Qatar 2022.

Paraguay’s hopes of returning to the World Cup finals for the first time since 2010 are hanging by a thread as they head into proceedings trailing the inter-confederation play-off spot by four points. Time is ticking for the Paraguayans, who are winless in their last five World Cup qualifying matches (D2, L3) since a 2-1 home victory over Venezuela, frustratingly drawing a blank on all five occasions. With four games left and an awkward trip to Brazil to come, ‘Los Guaraníes’ can ill-afford another slip-up here if they are to close the gap on Peru. However, you have to go back to October 2007 to find Paraguay’s last H2H victory, with Guillermo Barros Schelotto’s men going winless in their subsequent nine meetings with Uruguay in all competitions (D4, L5).

Meanwhile, after keeping two clean sheets in their last three World Cup qualifying H2Hs (W2, D1), Uruguay will feel confident about their chances of getting their stuttering ‘Qatar 2022’ qualifying campaign back on the rails. A dreadful run of four consecutive defeats in World Cup qualifiers by an aggregate score of 11-1 saw ‘La Celeste’ sack long-term manager Oscar Tabarez in December 2021. It will be up to new boss Diego Alonso to address Uruguay’s scoring problems that have seen them draw a blank in four of their last five World Cup qualifying games and inspire the nation’s hopes of reaching the upcoming tournament. Lagging a point behind fifth-placed Peru, the Uruguayans will be seeking their first away win in the ongoing cycle after five failed attempts in a row (D2, L3).