Bolivia vs Chile - Preview, Live streaming, lineups & Prediction

SCHEDULE	TIME
GAME	Bolivia vs Chile
DATE	01.02.2022
TIME	15:00 PM (UTC)
VENUE	Estadio Hernando Siles (La Paz)
LEAGUE	World Cup - Qualification

Match Preview

◉ There are just three games remaining in this World Cup Qualification (WCQ) campaign for Bolivia, and a second defeat in a row would seriously jeopardise their chance of a first World Cup appearance since USA ‘94. They have a four-point gap to bridge but can at least take some confidence from the fact that two of their remaining games will be played here in La Paz, 3,640 meters above sea level.

◉ Such an elevation has notoriously made it difficult for opposition teams to come and play here, so much so that FIFA previously banned Bolivia from hosting WCQ games due to their ‘unfair’ advantage! Consequently, ‘La Verde’ have won 13 of their 15 points on home soil and currently have gone an impressive 291 minutes without conceding a home goal.

◉ That altitude doesn’t seem to be a problem for Chile though, as they have won three of their last four visits to the Estadio Hernando Siles (L1), while conceding only one goal in the process. This bodes well for ‘La Roja’, who need to reduce the three-point gap on the top-five teams to ensure they don’t miss back-to-back World Cups for the first time since 2002/2006.

◉ After winning their previous road trip in the competition 1-0 against Paraguay, Martín Lasarte’s men must now attempt something they haven’t done in almost ten years – record two straight away wins in WQC! With each of the last five WCQ H2Hs held here witnessing only one side score, scoring first could well be a game decider (Chile: W3, L2).

◉ Players to watch: Bolivia’s Marcelo Moreno dominates the WCQ top scorer standings with nine goals to date, including one in the reverse H2H. Alexis Sánchez accounts for two of Chile’s five away goals in this WCQ campaign - all came as his team’s first and only scorer.

◉ Hot stat: Only Venezuela lost more WCQ 2022 games at both half-time/full-time than Bolivia’s six, though they never trailed at the break on home soil (HT: W3, D4).

Bolivia starting lineup:

Lampe; Bejarano, Quinteros, Sagredo; Ramallo, Vaca, Villarroel, Fernandez; Arce; Miranda, Moreno

Chile starting lineup:

Cortes; Isla, Maripan, Medel, Vegas; Pulgar, Aranguiz; Vargas, Nunez, Sanchez; Brereton Diaz

Prediction

Bolivia 1-1 Chile

Chile boast the stronger of the two squads, but La Paz is a notoriously tough place to visit, and, as a result, we cannot quite split the teams.

With both desperate for a crucial victory to try and sneak into the top five, the two nations could cancel out each other's efforts on Tuesday and settle for a share of the spoils that benefits neither.