Preview: Iraq vs Bolivia - prediction, team news, lineups

After beginning their World Cup quests in 2023, Iraq and Bolivia now stand in each other’s way for a place at football's most prestigious tournament as they face off at Estadio Monterrey on Wednesday.

Iraq are aiming to reach the World Cup for only the second time, having made their sole appearance in 1986, while Bolivia are seeking a fourth appearance overall and their first since 1994.

Match preview

Off the back of finishing second-bottom in the 2022 CONMEBOL qualifiers, Bolivia seemed destined for another disappointing campaign this time around, suffering five defeats in their opening six matches and picking up just three points from a possible 18.

This disastrous start to their qualifying journey, combined with a poor Copa America campaign that ended in a group-stage exit, led to the dismissal of Antonio Carlos Zago and the appointment of Oscar Villegas as his replacement.

Taking over a side on a run of six consecutive defeats—five of them without scoring—Villegas wasted little time in stamping his authority, leading Bolivia to three straight wins before suffering a 6-0 defeat to Argentina.

That ushered in a six-game winless run, and with automatic qualification off the table, La Verde needed at least six points from their final three matches to secure a spot in the intercontinental play-offs.

After defeating Chile 2-0 and losing 3-0 to Colombia, Bolivia needed to beat Brazil, who had thrashed them 5-1 on matchday one, to secure seventh place in the South American standings and, consequently, a play-off berth.

With a packed Estadio Municipal de El Alto behind them, Bolivia edged out Brazil 1-0 to set up a play-off semi-final against Suriname, where they came from behind to win 2-1—booking Wednesday's decider against Iraq.

Iraq were denied automatic qualification for the World Cup by the narrowest of margins, finishing behind Saudi Arabia on goal difference in the final leg of the AFC qualifiers.

As a result, Graham Arnold's men had to overcome the United Arab Emirates to book their place in the intercontinental play-offs, securing a 2-1 second-leg victory after a 1-1 first-leg draw.

Unlike Bolivia, Iraq did not have to contest a play-off semi-final, advancing directly to the final courtesy of their superior FIFA ranking.

Since their last qualifying fixture, Iraq have participated in the Arab Cup but were unable to add to their record four titles, suffering a quarter-final exit at the hands of Algeria on December 12 in what remains their last involvement.

The decision not to play any friendlies before such a crucial fixture as Wednesday's surprised many, though much of that can be attributed to the recent outbreak of regional conflict in the Middle East.

Having failed to score in each of their last two outings, Iraq cannot afford another off day in front of goal as they approach a crunch encounter with huge ramifications.

Iraq World Cup Qualifying form:

Iraq form (all competitions):

Bolivia World Cup qualifying form:

Bolivia form (all competitions):

Team News

© Imago

Aymen Hussein scored three times in his last two outings before the March international break and is certainly one to watch as he looks to add to his 32 goals for Iraq.

Hussein is expected to partner 25-year-old Mohanad Ali in attack, with Ali having scored in three of his last five international appearances.

Captain Jalal Hassan is sidelined with an injury and will miss Wednesday's match, denying him the opportunity to add to his century of caps.

Moises Paniagua came off the bench to score a crucial equaliser for Bolivia last time out, but Villegas is unlikely to hand the 18-year-old a start on such a big occasion.

With crucial goals against Brazil and now Suriname, Miguelito has become a key performer for his country and is just one goal away from reaching double figures at 21.

Iraq possible starting lineup:

Talib; Doski, Hashim, Tahseen, H Ali; Al-Ammari, Sher, Farji, Abdulkareem; M Ali, Hussein

Bolivia possible starting lineup:

Viscarra; Medina, Haquin, Morales, Fernandez; Matheus, Cuellar, Villamil; Miguelito, Monteiro, Vaca

We say: Iraq 2-1 Bolivia

With just one clean sheet in their last eight outings, Bolivia have struggled to keep opponents at bay and lack the attacking firepower to offset that defensive frailty.

We expect Villegas's men to find the net here, albeit en route to an agonising defeat.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.