World Ranking/Change from Previous Rank
Argentina-10th (Even), 3rd S. America (Even)
Bolivia-115th (Down 34), 10th S. America (Even)
Chile-16th (Down 2), 4th S. America (Even)
Colombia-30th (Up 2), 6th S. America (Even)
Ecuador-52nd (Up 17), 9th S. America (Even)
Paraguay-28th (Down 4), 5th S. America (Even)
Peru-32nd (Up 3), 7th S. America (Even)
Uruguay-4th (Even), 1st S. America (Even)
Venezuela-40th (Up 7), 8th S. America (Even)
Schedule
October 7, 2011
- Bolivia 2-4 Uruguay
- Venezuela 0-2 Ecuador
- Chile 1-4 Argentina
- Paraguay 0-2 Peru
- Colombia 2-1 Bolivia
- Peru 2-4 Chile
- Uruguay 1-1 Paraguay
- Argentina 0-1 Venezuela
- Bolivia vs. Argentina
- Ecuador vs. Paraguay
- Venezuela vs. Colombia
- Chile vs. Uruguay
- Argentina vs. Colombia
- Bolivia vs. Venezuela
- Paraguay vs. Chile
- Peru vs. Ecuador
- Ecuador vs. Argentina
- Chile vs. Bolivia
- Colombia vs. Peru
- Venezuela vs. Uruguay
- Paraguay vs. Bolivia
- Chile vs. Venezuela
- Peru vs. Uruguay
- Colombia vs. Ecuador
- Uruguay vs. Colombia
- Bolivia vs. Ecuador
- Paraguay vs. Argentina
- Venezuela vs. Peru
- Argentina vs. Peru
- Ecuador vs. Uruguay
- Colombia vs. Chile
- Venezuela vs. Paraguay
- Uruguay vs. Argentina
- Paraguay vs. Colombia
- Chile vs. Ecuador
- Peru vs. Bolivia
- Uruguay vs. Bolivia
- Peru vs. Paraguay
- Argentina vs. Chile
- Ecuador vs. Venezuela
- Venezuela vs. Argentina
- Paraguay vs. Uruguay
- Chile vs. Peru
- Bolivia vs. Colombia
- Argentina vs. Bolivia
- Paraguay vs. Ecuador
- Uruguay vs. Chile
- Colombia vs. Venezuela
- Colombia vs. Argentina
- Venezuela vs. Bolivia
- Chile vs. Paraguay
- Ecuador vs. Peru
- Argentina vs. Ecuador
- Bolivia vs. Chile
- Peru vs. Colombia
- Uruguay vs. Venezuela
- Bolivia vs. Paraguay
- Venezuela vs. Chile
- Uruguay vs. Peru
- Ecuador vs. Colombia
- Colombia vs. Uruguay
- Ecuador vs. Bolivia
- Argentina vs, Paraguay
- Peru vs. Venezuela
- Peru vs. Argentina
- Uruguay vs. Ecuador
- Chile vs. Colombia
- Paraguay vs. Venezuela
- Argentina vs. Uruguay
- Colombia vs. Paraguay
- Ecuador vs. Chile
- Bolivia vs. Peru
Game 9
Bolivia at Argentina
November 11, 2011
Time: 3:00 pm EST
Location: Estadio Monumental Antonio Vespucio Liberti, Buenos Aires, Argentina
Game 10
Chile at Uruguay
November 11, 2011
Time: 5:00 pm EST
Location: Estadio Centenario, Montevideo, Uruguay
Game 11
Venezuela at Colombia
November 11, 2011
Time: 7:00 pm EST
Location: Estadio Metropolitano Roberto Melendez, Barranquilla, Colombia
Game 12
Ecuador at Paraguay
November 11, 2011
Time: 7:00 pm EST
Location: Estadio Defensores del Chaco, Asuncion, Paraguay
Game 13
Argentina at Colombia
November 15, 2011
Time: 4:00 pm EST
Location: Estadio Metropolitano Roberto Melendez, Barranquilla, Colombia
Game 14
Peru at Ecuador
November 15, 2011
Time: 4:00 pm EST
Location: Estadio Olimpico Atahualpa, Quito, Ecuador
Game 15
Paraguay at Chile
November 15, 2011
Time: 6:30 pm EST
Location: Estadio Nacional, Santiago, Chile
Game 16
Bolivia at Venezuela
November 15, 2011
Time: 8:00 pm EST
Location: Estadio Pueblo Nuevo, San Cristobal, Venezuela
Usually 8-game slate for South America as they enter their 2nd month of qualifying. Lesson to be learned or re-emphasized from October: Home field matters in CONMEBOL more than any other confederation. Only 1 road team managed a win in 8 October games, and that was against Bolivia, ranked 63 spots lower then any other team on the continent.
Game 9 will see Bolivia travel to Argentina. It's worth noting that the last qualifying match in 2010 between these two was a 6-1 Bolivia win. But that was at home against one of the worst Argentinian performances in history. This is a different story and you can bet Argentina hasn't forgotten that loss, just two and a half years ago. Bolivia could be due for some payback in this game.
If you like offence, Game 10 will be the must-see game of the day in any of the confederations as Chile visits Uruguay. Both teams are renowned for their offensive prowess and sub-par defence. In 4 games in October, they've combined for 10 goals for and also 9 goals against. Game has all the makings of a shootout in Montevideo.
Game 11 will see the neighbours from the north of the continent face off. Neither team has been to a World Cup Finals this century and are in the latter half of the rankings in this confederation. Wins against each other are crucial if they hope to accumulate enough points to qualify this campaign.
Game 12 will be a good measuring stick to see what the middle of the pack is currently doing in CONMEBOL. Despite the standings, Ecuador should be in the latter half while Paraguay remains one of the top teams in South America. If Ecuador can pull off an upset on the road, it could indicate a serious shift in the balance of power in this group.
Game 13 sees Argentina traveling to Colombia and they'll have to be on upset alert. Colombia will get its second straight game at home against an Argentina team without Angel Di Maria who lost to Venezuela in their first road game of qualifying. Difference between Colombia and Venezuela? Colombia has more scoring options and a stouter defence.
Game 14 will be Peru's only game of the month against an Ecuador side who they will be fighting with to contend for one of the last possible spots to qualify. It seems too early to say it's a must-win game on the 4th matchday but these teams are very even in terms of skill and continental standing right now. Both have a shot at qualifying but I can't realistically see both managing to. Which means the head-to-head matchups are the most critical games they'll face in qualifying.
Paraguay and Chile meet in Game 15 and I have to wonder what sadistic individual made the CONMEBOL schedule because it has been dreadful for both teams. Up to this point, both sides will have played Uruguay and Peru while Chile met Argentina and Paraguay faced Ecuador. That is a brutal schedule and it doesn't get any easier as these teams face each other.
Game 16 is a somewhat lackluster affair with two of the worst teams in the continent facing off in Venezuela and Bolivia. All teams will be expecting to get 3 points when they play Bolivia at home and this game will be no exception.
Post-November Standing Predictions:
Uruguay-7 pts
Argentina-7 pts
Colombia-7 pts
Chile-6 pts
Venezuela-6 pts
Ecuador-4 pts
Peru-4 pts
Paraguay-4 pts
Bolivia-0 pts
8 more games to be played and I don't anticipate anything to become clearer at this point, except for Bolivia falling way behind. On the 11th, I like the home teams to sweep with wins from Argentina, Uruguay, Colombia and Paraguay. On the 15th, I'm giving home wins to Chile and Venezuela, with draws for Peru-Ecuador and Argentina-Colombia.
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