Venezuela’s plucky campaign was finally derailed in the semi-finals in a penalty shoot-out by Paraguay after a match where they hit the woodwork three times and had a goal disallowed.
View Head to Head for Venezuela vs Peru.
Despite their lingering disappointment at the cruellest of exits, coach Cesar Farias and his men will be fired up to beat Peru, not least as President Hugo Chavez continues to laud them with constant eulogies via Twitter.
“You were great – what an honour,” he said Thursday of a showing which left them undefeated, the penalties aside, throughout the tournament which they had opened by holding Brazil to a draw.
“They robbed us of a winner,” added Chavez from Cuba, where he is undergoing treatment for cancer, referring to Oswaldo Vizcarrondo’s ruled out header for offside.
Chavez has threatened to take the matter to the South American Football Confederation – whose head is Nicolas Leoz – a Paraguayan.
Lady Luck may be backing the Paraguayans – who survived another penalty drama in the quarters to see off holders Brazil, but the Venezuelans want to go out with a bang, says Farias, rallying his side in the face of adversity.
“Look, we’ve been the away team (in terms of fan numbers) in most of the games and you can factor in the climate too,” with the tournament taking place in a chilly Argentinian mid-winter.
The Peru game may end a chapter but not the overall story, adds Farias, promising more to come regardless of Saturday’s outcome.
“If we can become strong at home then we will have many possibilities to qualify for the 2014 World Cup in warmer Brazil,” he said.
Venezuela are to date the only South American country never to appear at the finals.
Peru themselves turned the form book upside down as far as the semis were concerned before finding Uruguay a bridge too far.
They finished rock bottom of the last World Cup qualifiers – Venezuela were third bottom – but under Uruguayan coach Sergio Markarian they have earned new respect.
“We have turned in a dignified showing and we can take away a number of positives,” said Markarian, who, along with all coaches at the tournament, came in with one eye fixed firmly on 2014.
With Saturday a chance to weigh up his options for the next cycle, comprising the two-year, 18-match World Cup qualifying programme, Markarian says he will make “several changes”.
One will be enforced with combative midfielder Juan Vargas suspended.
Conversely, Farias can bring back Tomas Rincon, dismissed in the win over Chile, back into his midfield though Giacomo Di Giorgi acquitted himself well against the Paraguayans.
When the pair met in the 2010 World Cup qualifiers Venezuela won 3-1 at home but went down 1-0 away.
They are the current leading soccer tipsters in this month competition. See also tipsters rankings.
nals
posts a 1X2 tip on Servette vs Luzern 1 minute ago |
|
nals
posts a 1X2 tip on Al Sadd vs Al Rayyan 1 minute ago |
|
nals
posts a 1X2 tip on Al Gharafa vs Al Arabi 1 minute ago |
|
tipstero
posts a Asian Handicap tip on Jove Espanol vs Real Sociedad 6 minutes ago |
|
tipstero
posts a Asian Handicap tip on Jove Espanol vs Real Sociedad 6 minutes ago |
|
tipstero
posts a 1X2 tip on Gévora vs Real Betis 7 minutes ago |
|
tipstero
posts a 1X2 tip on Gévora vs Real Betis 7 minutes ago |
|
tipstero
posts a 1X2 tip on Vic vs Atlético Madrid 7 minutes ago |
|
tipstero
posts a 1X2 tip on Vic vs Atlético Madrid 8 minutes ago |
|
tipstero
posts a 1X2 tip on San Tirso vs Espanyol 8 minutes ago |
Upcoming football matches with excellent head to head records over their opponents.
Podbrezová U19 vs Trenčín U19 |
Sign in to view more football matches.
Football clubs who play better for their home games H2H.
Gori vs Meshakhte |
Sign in to view more football matches.
Football clubs that play well for their away games.
Podbrezová U19 vs Trenčín U19 |
Sign in to view more football matches.
Motivated teams after winning five matches in a row or they have maintained a ten-match unbeaten run. The bookmakers label them as favourites for a reason.
Teams in crisis after five consecutive defeats or they did not win their last ten football matches. You should avoid betting on these underdogs.
Teams having a draw in the last five matches.
Teams that have not lost at home matches.
1860 München II |
Sign in to view more football teams.
Teams that have not won at away matches.
Dinamo Minsk |
Sign in to view more football teams.
This tipsters ranking is based on single picks excluding doubles and multi accumulators. For the full ranking click here.
Tipsters with consecutive winnings in their recent predictions.
Tipsters whom have lost a few matches in a row. Bad luck you call it.
Best platform for winning tips let's all come and win together . The platform is 100% perfect
From as little as $1 per soccer tip.
|
Arbitrage is an effective way to make guaranteed profits without losing your money.
Analyze soccer matches, inclusive of past results, head to head stats, today match fixtures, live soccer odds, players and team form.
Check the latest and fastest live score results for all football matches. Know who are the goalscorers, yellow card and red card offenders.
Read up these useful tips for soccer betting.
Get the listings of soccer leagues and competitions for each region, including past seasons results and football statistics.
Want to bet on a match today? Check out the list of today match fixtures.
Read MoreGet the match results for all the soccer matches around the globe. Inclusive of half-time, full-time results.
Read MoreAre you an expert in soccer betting? Join SoccerPunter Tipsters competition to challenge against the top football tipsters and win prizes!
Read MoreCopyright © 2002-2024 SoccerPunter Pte. Ltd. All rights reserved.
Be the first to comment: