For Venezuela to pull it off, they need to defeat Peru by at least six goals and have Uruguay lose both of their final two matches. That's what Cesar Farias and his team are up against.
This is the final game of the qualifiers for Venezuela and will determine whether it has any hopes of joining Brazil's big tournament next summer. With 19 points, Venezuela is three out of a playoff spot and no longer controls its own destiny. A win would put the team into a tie with Ecuador and Uruguay for the final playoff spot, but the current -6 goal differential would leave Venezuela out of the running. Venezuela needs a number of scenarios to work out in order to qualify.
Cesar Farias' side sits in sixth place in the CONMEBOL table, three points adrift of Uruguay and Ecuador, who both have a game in hand. It means Venezuela's only chance of reaching Brazil in 2014 is to thrash Paraguay on its home ground in San Cristobal and hope either Uruguay or Ecuador loses both of its games.
It must destroy Paraguay by as many goals as possible to diminish the goal differential. It must hope that either Uruguay or Ecuador loses by a huge amount. If Ecuador loses, then Venezuela needs Chile to destroy Ecuador to keep it at 22 points and give Venezuela a chance. If Uruguay loses, then Venezuela needs to pray for an Argentine victory in the final game with Uruguay.
A draw between Ecuador and Uruguay would not only eliminate Venezuela and would clinch a top-five finish for the remaining CONMEBOL clubs. Venezuela is coming off a huge 3-2 win against Peru but had gone three games without a win; the team's last victory had been a 1-0 win over Colombia in March.
As for Paraguay they are simply playing for a chance to avoid finishing last place in the qualifying table. More important for Victor Genes at this point is probably finding some level of consistency from his team. They looked impressive in a 4-0 win over Bolivia in September but followed that up with a 5-2 thumping from Argentina.
Match Date/Time: 5:00 p.m. local, 5:00 p.m. ET
Venue: Estadio Polideportivo de Pueblo Nuevo, San Cristóbal, Venezuela
