Neither Bolivia nor Venezuela have earned a single point in CONMEBOL’s World Cup qualifying tournament so far, joining Peru in that dubious honor after two rounds of the group, but that’s going to change today. Venezuela are on their way to La Paz to take on host Bolivia, and by the end of the day either one team will have earned three crucial points, or they’ll have split the honors with a point apiece.
Bolivia vs. Venezuela 2015 live stream: Time, TV schedule and how to watch World Cup qualifying online
Only three teams in CONMEBOL have yet to earn a point in qualifying so far, and two of them are going head to head in the third round.
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It’s something of a surprise to see the two teams down at the bottom of the standings like this, given how good they looked during the Copa America. Bolivia shocked their way to the quarterfinals, and Venezuela looked strong despite coming in last in a very difficult group. Some rough early-round matches have left both sides looking shellshocked, though, and both teams badly need a win to kick-start their qualifying campaigns. Bolivia haven’t been to the World Cup since 1994 and Venezuela have never been -- a strong showing in this tournament may not get either team to Russia in 2018, but they can at least establish themselves as a genuine threat to be considered in South America.
Key Bolivia player -- Danny Bejerano
While just 21, Bejerano has already earned 13 caps for Bolivia and is one of their few players who plays in Europe, teaming up with his cousin Diego -- a defender in the Bolivian national team -- at Greek side Panetolikos. The versatile midfielder has the makings of a workhorse midfielder who helps drive his team, and we saw flashes of that in Bolivia’s quarterfinal run in the Copa America this past summer. If he shows more of that quality and starts taking the steps forward in his game you expect around this age, Bolivia could be set to make an impact in this qualifying tournament -- but in the meantime, he needs to play well against Venezuela to help Bolivia win their first qualifying points.
Key Venezuela player -- Salomon Rondon
Rondon hasn’t had as easy of a time as hoped after moving to English side West Brom this past summer, scoring just three goals so far this season. If he can get rolling in this match, though, he represents a huge matchup problem for Bolivia, as they don’t have a defender who can adequately mark him with his combination of explosiveness and athleticism up top. If he plays well, they’ll be forced to put at least two defenders on him, likely with a third keeping an eye on him, which should open up plenty of space for other Venezuelan attackers to exploit. If Bolivia don’t do that, Rondon could have an field day.
Match Date/Time: Thursday, 3 p.m. ET, 4 p.m. local
Venue: Estadio Hernando Siles, La Paz, Bolivia
TV: beIN Sports (U.S. & Canada), Bolivia TV (Bolivia), Meridiano Television, TVes (Venezuela)
Online: Fubo TV, beIN Sports (U.S. & Canada)
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