Paraguay and Colombia will both look to bounce back to winning ways after disappointing runs of form when they face off in World Cup Qualifying action on Monday.
The hosts lost 2-0 to Ecuador on Thursday, giving their qualification bid a major hit, while their visitors were held to a 1-1 draw by Bolivia.
Match preview
© Reuters
Paraguay began their World Cup Qualifying campaign in impressive fashion last year, starting with draws against Peru and Argentina and a 1-0 away win over Venezuela to put themselves at the top end of the South American group.
Eduardo Berizzo's side then remained unbeaten until they suffered a 2-0 defeat at the hands of Brazil in the final game before this summer's Copa America.
La Albirroja earned victories over Bolivia and Chile to finish third in their group and advance to the quarter-finals to take on Peru, but they fell just short in a penalty shootout after Gabriel Avalos had kept their hopes alive with a 90th-minute equaliser to see the game end 3-3.
Nonetheless, they gave a good account of themselves on the continental stage and would have returned to action on Thursday with confidence, only for late goals from Felix Torres and Michael Estrada to snatch all three points for Ecuador.
Having now suffered two consecutive defeats in World Cup Qualifying, Berizzo's men will be keen to get back on track and climb back up the table as they push to reach their first World Cup since 2010.
© Reuters
They take on a Colombia side who will look to kick into gear after a somewhat disappointing result last time out, leaving them in fifth spot.
Similarly to Monday's opponents, La Tricolor started well in the World Cup Qualifiers, beating Venezuela 3-0 and drawing with Chile, before they suffered back-to-back defeats at the hands of Uruguay and Ecuador, with the games finishing 3-0 and 6-1 respectively.
Reinaldo Rueda's men found another patch of form after that, thrashing Peru 3-0 and holding Argentina to a draw, before they reached the semi-finals of the Copa America in the summer, by squeezing through the group stage and defeating Uruguay on a penalty shootout.
La Tricolor met Argentina in the semi-final, and Luis Diaz drew them level after Lautaro Martinez's early opener to take the game to a shootout, but Rueda's men would not prevail again as they were dumped out by the eventual winners, with Davinson Sanchez, Yerry Mina and Edwin Cardona all denied from 12 yards.
They would have hoped to bounce back in style when they took on Bolivia as heavy favourites on Thursday, with the chance to climb the qualifying table, and they looked set to see out a 1-0 victory after Roger Martinez's 70th-minute opener, only for Fernando Saucedo to hit the equaliser and snatch a point for the hosts in the final 10 minutes.
Following that relatively disappointing performance, La Tricolor will go in search of their third win of the World Cup Qualifying campaign, as they look to establish themselves at the top end of the South American table.
- W
- D
- D
- D
- L
- L
- W
- L
- W
- L
- L
- L
- D
- L
- L
- W
- D
- D
- L
- L
- W
- L
- W
- D
Team News
© Reuters
Paraguay come into the game without key attacker Miguel Almiron, who was initially set to join the squad, but was later refused a release by Newcastle United.
In his absence, Luis Amarilla led the line last time out, with Santiago Arzamendia and Angel Romero offering threat from the wide areas.
Captain Gustavo Gomez served a suspension last time out, but he is now available to come into the side.
Former West Ham United centre-back Fabian Balbuena led the line impressively in his absence, and he could keep his place alongside the returning captain, although Junior Alonso will also be keen for another start.
Colombia suffered attacking issues throughout the Copa America, but the introduction of Roger Martinez into the squad seems to have had an impact, as he got on the scoresheet in his first game back in the national side.
He will again be supported by the wide threat of Porto star Luis Diaz and Juventus' Juan Cuadrado, while Juan Quintero was brought in as a creative hub last time out, as James Rodriguez continues to miss out through fitness issues.
Further back, Porto midfielder Mateus Uribe recently returned from a serious injury that he picked up during the Copa America, and has reformed his partnership with Wilmar Barrios.
Tottenham Hotspur's Davinson Sanchez will again start at the heart of the back four, while his usual partner Yerry Mina has missed out on this round of fixtures after picking up a knock for Everton.
Paraguay possible starting lineup:
Silva; Espinola, Gomez, Alonso, Martinez; Morel; Angel Romero, Alejandro Romero, Sanchez, Arzamendia; Amarilla
Colombia possible starting lineup:
Ospina; Munoz, Sanchez, Murillo, Tesillo; Uribe, Barrios; Cuadrado, Quintero, Diaz; Martinez
We say: Paraguay 1-1 Colombia
While Colombia's side is certainly not short of talent, and they come into Monday's game as favourites, they have often struggled to get over the line with this squad, suggesting a deeper issue may be at play.
We do not see them losing on their travels but are backing the hosts to take a point from a Tricolor side that is not playing to its full potential.
Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Paraguay win with a probability of 40.74%. A win for Colombia had a probability of 33.89% and a draw had a probability of 25.4%.
The most likely scoreline for a Paraguay win was 1-0 with a probability of 9.17%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-1 (8.75%) and 2-0 (6.69%). The likeliest Colombia win was 0-1 (8.22%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (11.99%). The actual scoreline of 1-1 was predicted with an 12% likelihood.
Argentina
Colombia
Uruguay
Ecuador
Brazil
Paraguay
Bolivia
Venezuela
Peru
Chile
