Colombia will try to keep their hopes of qualifying for the 2022 World Cup alive on Thursday when they play Bolivia in Barranquilla with kickoff at 2:30 am.
After winning three of their first nine games, Colombia was able to progress to the World Cup after the midway point in qualification.
However, they earned just four points from their last seven games to quickly drop outside of the top five. Notably, they did not score a single goal during this phase.
They drew 0-0 with Uruguay, Brazil, Ecuador, and Paraguay and have gone seven straight games without scoring. The most recent loss came at the hands of Peru and was preceded by a 1-0 defeat at home to Argentina.
With a four-point gap separating it from fifth place, Peru will likely seal their World Cup qualification before La Tricolor’s final two matches.
There will be little pressure on the Bolivians when they take on already-qualified Peru in La Paz at the end of March. Los Incas headed into the campaign as underdogs, and they looked almost out of contention after ten games with just six points.
However, Cesar Farias’s side fought back valiantly, beating Uruguay 1-0 and thrashing Paraguay 4-0 in October before returning to action the following month with a 3-0 beating of a strong Peru side after a loss to Uruguay.
Colombia vs. Bolivia Head to Head
Both sides have 11 games against each other, with hosts taking seven wins while visitors with one win. Here is a look at their previous encounters:
Home
- Argentina 1-0 Colombia
- Colombia 0-1 Peru
- Colombia 2-1 Honduras
- Paraguay 0-0 Colombia
- Brazil 1-0 Colombia
Away
- Bolivia 2-3 Chile
- Venezuela 4-1 Bolivia
- Bolivia 5-0 Trinidad
- Peru 3-0 Bolivia
- El Salvador 0-1 Bolivia
Colombia Team News
Star player James Rodriguez has returned to the Colombian national team after a long absence, and he should be a creative hub in midfield. New Liverpool winger Luis Diaz will operate on the left flank; meanwhile, Rueda searches for a forward to lead the line, with Luis Muriel, Miguel Borja, and Rafael Borre having trouble recently scoring.
Bolivia Team News
Rather than worry about the outcome, Farias has opted to focus on calling up younger players to his team and give more experienced attackers Marcelo Moreno and Juan Carlos Arce a rest.
Prediction and Odds
Colombia’s toothless attack has been a source of worry for Rueda, but we’re backing them to end that against a young Bolivia team.
- Colombia Win
- Goals Under 2.5
- No Score: Away
