Copa America continues gassing up steam in their Group A action as Colombia welcomes neighbors Venezuela. The match schedules for Thursday Eber Aquino in Paraguay, with kickoff at midnight.
Colombia started their campaign with a triumphant 1-0 win over Ecuador. On the other hand, Venezuela will try to fight from a disappointing 3-0 defeat to Brazil in their opening match.
The opening match raised hopes for many Colombia fans, especially with a 1-0 win over Ecuador in Cuiaba. Edwin Cardona managed to see off the one goal through half the final whistle to gain the three important points.
The win pushed their winning streak to three matches in all competitions. In addition, they picked positive results against Peru and Argentina in the World Cup qualifiers at the start of June.
Moreover, the wins pushed Colombia to fifth in the qualifying group. However, Colombia put its entire focus on Copa America. The La Tricolor hope to relive the 2001 form that saw them rise to the Copa America finals.
On the other hand, La Vinotinto got off a struggling start to Copa America against Brazil. The 3-1 loss means Venezuela has gone six games without a win in all competitions. However, a goalless draw against Uruguay in the final paints a positive picture.
Colombia vs Venezuela Head to Head
Both sides have fifteen matches against each other, with Colombia taking five wins, similar to Venezuela. Here is a look at their previous encounters:
Home
- Colombia 1-0 Ecuador
- Colombia 2-2 Argentina
- Peru 0-3 Colombia
- Ecuador 6-1 Colombia
- Colombia 0-3 Ecuador
Away
- Brazil 3-0 Venezuela
- Venezuela 0-0 Uruguay
- Bolivia 3-1 Venezuela
- Venezuela 2-1 Chile
- Brazil 1-0 Venezuela
Colombia Team News
It was odd that Rueda left out the high-scoring Serie A duo of Zapata and Muriel in place of Miguel Borja and Santos Borre. However, Zapata came off the bench in the second half, but Muriel did not feature. Juan Cuadrado started operating on the right-hand side while Wilmar Barrios starting in defense. Moreover, Rueda seems to prefer Oscar Murillo over Tottenham Hotspurs David Sanchez.
Venezuela Team News
A coronavirus outbreak rocked the camp at the beginning of the tournament, with over a dozen players and staff testing positive. The loss of attacker Josef Martinez is a big loss for the camp.
Prediction and Odds
Colombia head into the clash as favorites given the coronavirus situation at the other camp.
- Colombia Win
- Goals Under 2.5
- Zapata to Score
