Argentina vs Venezuela Prediction for 5 September 2025 - Football

🔊 How will what is likely Lionel Messi's final official match for Argentina on home soil unfold? With only two matches left in the South American qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup, the "Albiceleste" are comfortably sitting at the top of the group. Venezuela remains the only national team on the continent yet to qualify for a World Cup. They are four points away from the sixth spot, which would secure them a historic direct entry to the tournament. Let's delve into our prediction to see who will be more motivated for a successful outcome.

Head-to-Head

📊 These two South American teams share a storied rivalry. Since 2017, they have clashed four times in World Cup qualifiers and once in the Copa América. Argentina hold a commanding edge with three victories, boasting an aggregate score of 8-1. Venezuela managed to secure draws on two occasions, both ending 1-1.

Argentina Team Overview

⚪️ The "Albiceleste" are not just dominant on their continent, but across the globe. Currently, Argentina hold the titles of World Cup, Copa America, and Finalissima champions. Lionel Scaloni's squad secured their spot for the upcoming World Cup 2026 back in spring after a commanding victory over Brazil (4-1). In the current qualifiers, Argentina have only suffered 3 defeats, boast the best goal difference (+19), and sit 10 points clear of second place.

🔵 Argentina's lineup is packed with European and global stars: Emiliano Martinez, Cristian Romero, Nicolas Otamendi, Alexis Mac Allister, Rodrigo De Paul, Lionel Messi, Julian Alvarez, and Lautaro Martinez are just a few of the names heading to South America. However, given the tournament standings, Lionel Scaloni might opt to give rotation players a chance in the upcoming match. To this end, players from the local league have been called up: Gonzalo Montiel, Marcos Acuña (both from River Plate), Leandro Paredes (Boca Juniors), and Flaco Lopez from Palmeiras.

Venezuela Team Overview

🟡 Under the guidance of Fernando Batista, Venezuela have made a strong start to their 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign, suffering just one defeat in their first four matches. However, they then hit a rough patch, enduring a winless streak lasting over a year, with eight games without a victory. All their losses occurred on the road—accumulating six in total. At home, though, they remain unbeaten with four wins and four draws. Currently, they are just two matches and four points away from making history with a direct World Cup qualification. Besides the upcoming game, they have a crucial home clash against direct competitors—the Colombians, who sit in sixth place in the standings.

🔵 The Venezuelan squad is primarily composed of players from leagues in the Americas. Nevertheless, it features some notable names with European experience: Salomón Rondón, Telasco Segovia, and Nahuel Ferraresi. Among those currently playing in Europe's top five leagues, Cristian Cásseres from Toulouse and Jon Aramburu from Real Sociedad have joined the team.

Latest news

Argentina

🎙 Lionel Messi shared his thoughts on potentially playing his final match for Argentina on home soil: "Yes, it will be a special match, very special for me, because it's the last home game in the qualifiers. I don't know if there will be any home friendlies after this, but an important match lies ahead. My whole family will be there with me: my wife, children, parents, siblings, and my wife's relatives. As I've said before, I don't know what the future holds, but we're going into this match with a special mindset."

❌ The only absence for the Albiceleste due to yellow card accumulation is Enzo Fernandez. However, Alexis Mac Allister, who missed the summer qualifiers due to injury, is available to fill his role.

Venezuela

❌ Not all representatives from European leagues have made it to South America. Real Sociedad's midfielder Yangel Herrera picked up an injury during the third round of La Liga. Additionally, Rondon's clubmate Jhonder Cadiz will miss out due to an injury. There are players who will sit out the upcoming match because of suspensions: Jose Martinez and Telasco Segovia have both accumulated too many yellow cards.

⚽️ Goal Prediction

⚽️ Goal Prediction

In the current qualifiers, Argentina have demonstrated one of the best defensive performances, conceding only 9 goals. This ranks them second, just behind Ecuador, who have let in 5 goals. Despite leading in goals scored with 28, Argentina have only managed to score more than 1.5 goals in two of their last 7 matches, while conceding just 3 times. Given that the hosts lack tournament ambitions, we don't anticipate a high-scoring game in Buenos Aires. Our prediction: total goals under 3.5.

🚩 Corner Prediction

The teams sit near each other in the lower half of the table when it comes to average corners per match: Argentina average 4.12 compared to 4 for their opponents. The "Albiceleste" aren't particularly tall, with their tallest outfield player being Marseille's defender Leonardo Balerdi at 188 cm. Meanwhile, Venezuela rely heavily on their target man, Salomón Rondón. We expect that with limited possession, set pieces will be crucial for the visitors to achieve results. Considering the teams' average individual performances, a bet on total corners over 7.5 seems reasonable.

The hosts have overwhelming odds in their favor for the upcoming match. Despite the resolved standings, the game at "El Monumental" is crucial for them—they need to give a fitting farewell to the legendary Lionel Messi on home turf. The visitors have their own objectives: they need to secure 4 points from their next two matches. However, their away record in this qualification is dismal: 2 draws and 6 losses. Nevertheless, Fernando Batista's squad doesn't go down without a fight—they managed to score in all but one of their last five away games. We believe Venezuela will capitalize on one of their chances, but turning the match in their favor seems unlikely. Argentina are expected to celebrate a 2-1 victory, giving Messi a worthy send-off. Yet, we trust that the high motivation of both teams will result in both teams scoring.