Overview
After only finishing second to last in the 2022 World Cup qualifiers, Bolivia continued to experience a forgettable campaign when losing 5/6 of the first matches and only winning 3/18 maximum points.
A poor start and disappointing performance at Copa America caused coach Antonio Carlos Zago to be sacked, giving way to Oscar Villegas. Taking over the team that is sinking into a 6-match losing streak, Villegas quickly made his mark when he helped Bolivia win 3 consecutive matches, before suffering a heavy defeat 0-6 against Argentina.
However, that recovery did not last long. La Verde then fell into a 6-match winless streak and was forced to focus all their strength on the final stage. No longer having a chance to win a direct ticket, Bolivia needs at least 6 points in the last 3 rounds to nurture hopes for the play-offs.
After a 2-0 victory over Chile and a 0-3 defeat to Colombia, they entered the decisive match against Brazil - the team that defeated them 5-1 in the first leg. At their home stadium Estadio Municipal de El Alto, Bolivia created a surprise by winning 1-0, thereby finishing 7th and winning a play-off ticket.
The excitement continued when they defeated Suriname 2-1 in the play-off semi-finals, reversing the score to advance to the final against Iraq.
On the opposite side, Iraq unfortunately missed the direct ticket when they were inferior to Saudi Arabia in goal difference in the AFC qualifiers. Graham Arnold's team then defeated the UAE with a total score of 2-1 after two legs to win the right to enter the intercontinental play-off.
Thanks to a higher FIFA ranking, Iraq went straight to the final without having to play in the semi-finals. However, they lacked rhythm when they did not organize any friendly matches before this important confrontation, partly due to the unstable situation in the Middle East.
After 2 recent matches without scoring, Iraq is clearly not allowed to make more mistakes if they do not want to lose the opportunity to participate in the World Cup.
Personnel situation
Striker Aymen Hussein is Iraq's biggest hope as he has scored 3 goals in the last 2 matches before the March training camp, thereby moving closer to the milestone of 32 goals for the national team.
This striker is likely to pair with Mohanad Ali in attack. At the age of 25, Ali is also in stable form when scoring in 3/5 recent international appearances.
However, Iraq will not have the service of captain Jalal Hassan due to injury. This veteran goalkeeper therefore missed the opportunity to reach the milestone of 100 caps for the national team.
On the Bolivian side, young talent Moises Paniagua scored points when coming on as a substitute and scoring in the previous match. However, coach Oscar Villegas is likely to remain cautious and has not given the 18-year-old player a starting spot in the decisive match.
Instead, great expectations continue to be placed on Miguelito's shoulders. After important goals against Brazil and Suriname, the 21-year-old player is becoming a key factor of La Verde.
Expected lineup:
Iraq: Talib, Doski, Hashim, Tahseen, H. Ali, Al-Ammari, Sher, Farji, Abdulkareem, M. Ali, Hussein.
Bolivia: Viscarra, Medina, Haquin, Morales, Fernandez, Matheus, Cuellar, Villamil, Miguelito, Monteiro, Vaca.
The match between Iraq and Bolivia takes place at 10:00 AM on April 1st (Vietnam time).
