The two sensitive casualties that Venezuela will have to receive Colombia on the last date of the qualifiers

The Colombia team will play its final card this Tuesday when it visits the Venezuelan national team for the last date of the South American Qualifiers to the Qatar 2022 World Cup. The 'Tricolor', which comes from beating Bolivia 3-0 at the Metropolitano Stadium in Barranquilla, will be presented this Saturday at the Colombian Football Federation (FCF) sports headquarters to prepare for the decisive duel.

With 20 points, those led by coach Reinaldo Rueda appear in the sixth box and dreaming of the possibility of qualifying for the World Cup through the repechage. Recall that the four direct quotas were defined after the recent day: Brazil, Argentina, Ecuador and Uruguay have already secured their presence in Qatar 2022.

The rival will be Venezuela, which, despite being eliminated for several dates, tends to complicate matches against Colombia, especially when it sponsors as a local. However, the 'Vinotinto', led by José Pékerman, will have to overcome after the 3-0 defeat against Argentina at La Bombonera which, in addition, will force him to make changes to his formation in order to receive the 'Tricolor'.

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It is official that neither defender Jhon Chancellor, nor right-back Roberto Rosales, will be available for the 18th date of the heats, since both saw their second yellow card against 'Albiceleste'. The first received the warning at minute 67', while the second at 71'. This way, they will have to pay a suspension date.

On paper, the natural change for Chancellor would be 22-year-old Christian Makoun; and, in the case of Rosales, his replacement should be Ronald Hernandez, 24.

One important difference between absentees and potential substitutes is experience, as both Chancellor and Rosales have been the regular starters in their positions for much of the tie.

Although Pékerman took over as coach of Venezuela when he was already eliminated, the Argentine strategist's goal is for 'Vinotinto' to qualify for the 2026 World Cup in Canada, the United States and Mexico. “We hope for the future, in this project, significant growth (...), but for the integration of the team there is a long way to go,” he said at a press conference after the fall against Argentina.

For the match against Bolivia, the 'Cafetero' team had 13 players in danger, who, if they received a yellow card, would miss the match against Venezuela. However, the balance was positive, as the only one to receive a warning was Juan Guillermo Cuadrado, so he will miss the final match and return to Italy to join the orders of Juventus.

“Juan Guillermo Cuadrado has been dismissed from the team, after in the match against Bolivia he received a yellow card that disables him from playing the next match against Venezuela. We wish the player a good return to his club”, explained the FCF in a statement.

The coaching staff gave the other players a day of rest on Friday, having the opportunity to share with their families. Starting this Saturday, they will again join the working sessions in Colombian territory, waiting for the flight to Venezuela to be confirmed.

Tuesday, March 29:

Ecuador vs. Argentina

Peru vs. Paraguay

Venezuela vs. Colombia

Bolivia vs Brazil

Chile vs. Uruguay

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