CONMEBOL World Cup qualifying gets underway this weekend, with South American giants Brazil hosting Bolivia at the Estadio Olimpico do Para.
Key Takeaways
- Brazil suffered a shock 4-2 defeat against Senegal last time out
- Bolivia were beaten 2-1 by Panama in their previous match
- Brazil have lost just five of their 32 previous meetings with Bolivia
While Brazil have qualified for all 22 editions of the FIFA World Cup, Bolivia have only featured at one World Cup since 1950. Still, both sides begin the new qualifying campaign with a clean slate.
Brazil Form
After exiting the 2022 World Cup at the quarter-final stage for the fourth time in five attempts – enduring penalty heartache against Croatia – Brazil suffered a surprise 2-1 defeat to Morocco in a friendly back in March.
The Selecao returned to winning ways with a 4-1 thrashing of Guinea, but they recorded another shock defeat last time out, losing 4-2 against Senegal in June. The South American giants have struggled for consistency in recent times, although they invariably make light work of World Cup qualifying.
Bolivia Form
Meanwhile, Bolivia have played five friendlies in 2023, recording one win, one draw and three losses in the process. As a result, La Verde head into qualifying on a three-game winless run, having scored a solitary goal since defeating Saudia Arabia back in March.
The Bolivians managed to win just four of their 18 qualifiers for the 2022 World Cup, finishing second from bottom in the CONMEBOL group. At the opposite end of the standings, first-placed Brazil won 14 and drew three of their 17 games, underling the gulf in quality between the two sides.
Head-to-Head
Brazil have won 23 of their 32 matches against Bolivia in all competitions, suffering only five defeats along the way. During the previous World Cup qualifying campaign, the Brazilians won 5-0 on home soil before winning 4-0 in Bolivia.
Team News
Brazil have dropped Antony due to the domestic assault accusations aimed at the Manchester United winger, while Real Madrid star Vinicius Junior is absent through injury.
Bolivia manager Marcelo Moreno has called up a host of uncapped players, including teenage quartet Bruno Poveda, Marco Salazar, Ervin Vaca and Carlos Sejas.
Key Players
Neymar has scored 77 goals in 124 appearances for Brazil, while Tottenham Hotspur striker Richarlison also boasts an impressive international record, having netted 20 goals in 44 games for his country.
As for Bolivia, veteran forward Marcelo Martins has bagged 31 goals in 102 international appearances. However, the rest of the squad has a combined total of just 12 international goals.
Final Thoughts
With all due respect to Bolivia, anything other than a straightforward Brazil victory would be a big shock. Brazil’s squad is stacked with world-class players in every department, giving the host a huge advantage over the visitors.
WC Qual, CONMEBOL