Colombia vs Paraguay

South American strugglers Colombia and Paraguay are set to trade tackles at the DRV PNK Stadium in an intriguing international friendly.

Colombia’s failed attempt to reach the World Cup finals for the first time since 2010 has rattled some feathers, forcing the football federation’s hand. Underachieving manager Reinaldo Rueda was relieved of his duties in April, with Nestor Lorenzo taking his place in the dugout, which has so far paid dividends. ‘Los Cafeteros’ have won all three international friendlies under the new head coach, thrashing the likes of Saudi Arabia, Guatemala, and Mexico via an aggregate scoreline of 8-3. The Colombians’ seven-goal tally in only three matches under Lorenzo is a drastic improvement to their underwhelming scoring record under Rueda. Indeed, they had amassed only six goals in Rueda’s last ten games in charge, showing the new gaffer has hit the ground running from day one.

On the other hand, Paraguay’s third consecutive absence from the World Cup finals has put manager Guillermo Barros Schelotto under heavy scrutiny. A pair of 1-0 wins over Mexico and the United Arab Emirates, respectively, at the start of September handed ‘Los Guaraníes’ a false hope of resurrection. A goalless draw with Morocco and a 1-0 defeat to Peru in the aftermath brought them back down to earth as they look to get back to winning ways again. Winless in their last three meetings with Colombia (D2, L1), they look like a doomed outfit. Each of those three H2H duels featured under 2.5 goals, which was the case in Paraguay’s four internationals in September. So a low-scoring theme could be the order of the day.