The CONMEBOL enters Day 8 of World Cup Qualifications for the first time since September in the last set of qualification games in 2013. The top four has Argentina, Colombia, Ecuador, and Uruguay. Chile sits in fifth while Venezuela breathes down their necks. Peru, Bolivia, and Paraguay are starting to fall behind as time runs out.
Colombia vs. Paraguay 4:30 PM ET
Heading into September's two matches, Colombia's chances were starting to wither away. But after a 4-0 win over Uruguay and a 3-1 win against Chile, the Colombians are in second place. Most important of all is that superstar striker Radamel Falcao is back in fine form with two goals in those two games. James Rodriguez and Teofilio Gutierrez were equally instrumental in the victory. Gutierrez had 3 goals in the two games.
Colombia has looked a bit more susceptible on the backend, but has been able to find a way to keep opponents at bay with only six goals against. They only play one match next week and have a huge opportunity of holding their position on the table as they take on the worst team in Paraguay.
Now two years removed from an impressive World Cup 2010 run, Paraguay has been unable to sustain strong play in any of their matches. With just one win in seven games, this team is slowly starting to see their World Cup aspirations slip away. They followed a 3-1 loss to Argentina with a 2-0 defeat from Venezuela. After their match with Colombia on Friday, they take on Peru on Tuesday.
Prediction: Colombia wins this 3-1 with Falcao scoring at least one. However, this will not be as easy as one might imagine as Paraguay will put up a strong battle.