Nacional Potosi vs Zulia Predictions, Betting Tips and Match Previews

Wednesday’s Copa Sudamericana first round, first leg clash sees Bolivians Nacional Potosi doing battle with Venezuelans Zulia. It looks set to be a difficult evening for the visitors, who have hardly had ideal preparation for the match due to the ongoing crisis in Venezuela.

Hosts Nacional will be looking to plant one foot into the second round of the Sudamericana on Wednesday and there’s no doubting this is a fixture, and tie, they’re expected to win. The Bolivians were narrowly eliminated 3-2 on aggregate by Brazilians Fluminense at this very stage of the competition last year, but hopes are high of a more sustained run in the competition this time around.

Confidence is certainly very high in Nacional ranks at the moment and the team have been excellent thus far in 2019. Indeed, the hosts have won their last 6 matches, whilst scoring a huge average of 3.66 goals a game, leaving them top of the domestic top flight and in excellent spirits.

Meanwhile, the fact Zulia are even travelling to contest this tie is commendable in itself, but the visitors have hardly been able to prepare well for what would be an extremely difficult trip even at the best of times, given the match will be be played at an altitude of over 4,000 metres above sea level.

The nationwide power cut in Venezuela has made even necessities such as running water hard to come by and as such, Zulia have not been able to train regularly or fulfil any of the needs of a professional football team. In their last match against Caracas, the game kicked off and both teams stood still as a form of protest and the visitors haven’t played any kind of competitive football for close to 2 weeks now.

Ultimately, Nacional come into this tie as huge favourites due to the ongoing issues in Venezuela and it’d be a major surprise if they didn’t put the tie to bed on Wednesday. They’re in excellent form, scoring goals for fun and Zulia will find it incredibly hard to cope with the gruelling conditions, given what’s happened to them in recent weeks.

All things considered, backing Nacional on the -2 handicap looks to provide good value. They’ve also won 6 consecutive home games and anything but a big home win here would be a major surprise, with a 4-0 margin of Nacional victory on the cards.