Bolivia coach Oscar Villegas warns Venezuela of their 'unbeatable' pitch

Bolivia's football coach Oscar Villegas said they are ready to play a "great game" against Venezuela at an altitude of more than 4,000 metres in the city of El Alto in the seventh match of the South American qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup.

Villegas envisions a dynamic national team with high pressing, as well as good transitions in different areas of the pitch to counter an opponent that, he said, has players with a lot of hierarchy.

The Bolivian coach highlighted, among others, striker Salomon Rondon and midfielder Yeferson Soteldo. "We're going to go out and win the game, regardless of the great Venezuela that could be on the pitch," the coach remarked.

He also mentioned that he does not feel “favourite” to get the three points in dispute and therefore it is the rival who has that obligation and will feel the pressure to win in an unprecedented duel in the 'Estadio Municipal de El Alto'.

Villegas reiterated that Bolivia chose El Alto stadium because its pitch “is in very good conditions” and allows the development of “good football”.

“I am calm waiting for the debut, because we have done everything we needed to do and everything we could with the coaching staff,” he insisted.

La 'Verde' will play for the first time in El Alto, at 4,150 meters above sea level, and will seek to generate a turning point that will make them move up in the standings, in which they occupy the penultimate place with 3 points, one more than bottom-placed Peru.

“In El Alto we will try to be as intense as possible, so that they know that they are in a new stadium that so far is unbeatable”, he pointed out, as Bolivian clubs have never lost there, neither in the Libertadores nor in the Sudamericana.

 

August 27, 2024