The Venezuelan men’s soccer team will visit Bolivia on Thursday at the El Alto Municipal Stadium, with the goal of achieving a heroic feat in the South American qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup in Mexico, the United States and Canada.
The team led by Fernando “Bocha” Batista is facing one of the most unique challenges of the World Cup pre-match. They will have to play on a field located at almost 4,100 meters above sea level (masl), which implies an additional degree of difficulty due to the low oxygen levels.
Jorge Pidal, the national team’s physical trainer, explained that many factors were taken into account in order to approach this match in the best possible way. He pointed out that some adjustments were made to the players’ diet and the management of training loads, and he stressed the importance of having some players with previous experience at altitude, since the effects may be less.
In an interview released by the press department of the Venezuelan Football Federation (FVF), Pidal indicated that the plan to mitigate the impact of the high plateau is to arrive at El Alto at the time of the match, have a warm-up according to the conditions and face the challenge and then go down.
He added that, depending on how everything goes, a recovery plan will be implemented for the match against Uruguay on Tuesday in Maturín.
History
Throughout history, La Vinotinto has only been able to achieve one victory at altitude in Bolivia, and it was a 0-1 victory. It was on June 6, 2009, on the road to the 2010 South Africa World Cup, when the coach at that time, César Farías, made special preparations to face the match at the Hernando Siles stadium in La Paz, at almost 3,600 meters above sea level.
In the 2014 World Cup qualifiers in Brazil, Venezuela was close to taking all three points at altitude again. On June 7, 2013, still under the command of Farías, the national team tied 1-1 with the green team.
Only on those two occasions did Venezuela get any positive results at altitude. In the rest of the history there are only defeats for the national team, although this Thursday they will try to turn that trend around.
Batista’s team will probably have some new additions to the starting 11, such as the appearance of players like goalkeeper Alain Baroja, who usually plays at the Municipal El Alto stadium. Others who have the possibility of appearing as a surprise are defenders Delvin Alfonzo and Rubén Ramírez, who also play at altitude in Colombia and Peru, respectively.
It remains to be seen whether the national coach will present the alternatives that are expected to be seen due to the special conditions of the match or if he will call on the majority of his players who are normally starters. The match starts at 4:00 pm (Venezuela time).
Classification
Venezuela is currently fourth in the standings with nine points after six games. It needs to maintain its positive streak (it only lost in the first game against Colombia in Barranquilla) to remain in direct qualification positions.
Bolivia, for its part, is ninth with three points, two away from the playoff spot held by Paraguay.
Puerto La Cruz/ Javier A. Guaipo
#Vinotinto #visits #Bolivia #aim #achieving #heroic #feat
2024-09-06 20:12:19
What strategies is Venezuela employing to cope with the high altitude when playing in Bolivia?
Table of Contents
Venezuela Faces Daunting Challenge in Bolivia: Can They Overcome the Altitude?
The Venezuelan men’s soccer team is set to face off against Bolivia on Thursday at the El Alto Municipal Stadium in a crucial World Cup qualifying match. The team, led by coach Fernando “Bocha” Batista, will have to overcome one of the most significant challenges in the World Cup pre-match: playing at an altitude of almost 4,100 meters above sea level (masl).
The high altitude poses a significant threat to the team’s chances, as the low oxygen levels can affect their performance on the field. However, the team’s physical trainer, Jorge Pidal, has been working on a plan to mitigate the impact of the high plateau. According to Pidal, the team will arrive at El Alto at the time of the match, have a warm-up according to the conditions, and then face the challenge before heading back down [[3]]. Additionally, the team has made adjustments to the players’ diet and training loads to prepare for the high altitude.
Throughout history, La Vinotinto has only managed to achieve one victory at altitude in Bolivia, a 0-1 win in 2009 during the World Cup qualifiers for South Africa. In the 2014 World Cup qualifiers, Venezuela came close to taking all three points at altitude again, tying 1-1 with Bolivia [[2]]. However, in the rest of their history, the team has suffered defeats at altitude.
Batista’s team is expected to make some changes to the starting lineup, with players like goalkeeper Alain Baroja, who usually plays at the Municipal El Alto stadium, potentially making an appearance. Defenders Delvin Alfonzo and Rubén Ramírez, who play at altitude in Colombia and Peru, respectively, may also see playing time.
The match will be a crucial test for Venezuela, who will be looking to turn around their fortunes at altitude. With a win, they can take a significant step forward in their World Cup qualifying campaign. However, Bolivia will not be an easy opponent, as they have already shown their capabilities with a 4-0 drubbing over Venezuela in a friendly match last year [[1]].
The match is set to start at 4:00 pm (Venezuela time), and fans will be eagerly watching to see if the team can overcome the challenges posed by the high altitude and achieve a heroic feat in the South American qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup in Mexico, the United States, and Canada.
References:
How does the altitude of El Alto affect players’ performance in soccer matches?
Venezuela Faces Daunting Challenge in Bolivia: Can They Overcome the Altitude?
The Venezuelan men’s soccer team is set to face off against Bolivia on Thursday at the El Alto Municipal Stadium in a crucial World Cup qualifying match. The team, led by coach Fernando “Bocha” Batista, will have to overcome one of the most significant challenges in the World Cup pre-match: playing at an altitude of almost 4,100 meters above sea level (masl).
The high altitude
