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Paraguay vs Australia World Cup Tips, Prediction & Live Stream - Battle for second spot on the line
Paraguay faces Australia in a critical Group D clash, with both teams aiming to secure the second knockout stage spot. Following a dull loss to the USA, Australia only needs a point, while Paraguay enters off a gritty 1-0 win over Turkiye despite playing most of the match with 10 men. Both teams are defensively solid but offer little attacking threat. The best betting angles are BTTS – No and Under 1.5 total goals, with a special focus on Volpato and Irankunda for potential shots on target. Caution is advised for traditional match outcome bets.
- Paraguay vs Australia predictions for Thursday's World Cup Group D game
- Second spot up for grabs, Australia need a point & Paraguay need a win
- Both teams should still progress into the R32 with a draw
- Top betting angles: BTTS – No; watch Volpato & Irankunda for shots on target
- The game is scheduled for kick off at 12.00pm AEST on Friday June 26
Expired
Paraguay vs Australia World Cup Tips, Prediction & Live Stream
Second spot in Group D is up for grabs as the Socceroos look to bounce back from their disappointing performance against USA when they face Paraguay at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara on Thursday.
Australia came crashing back down to earth after the euphoria of their 2-0 victory over Turkiye, suffering a dour 2-0 defeat to co-hosts USA. It was the manner of defeat that struck the nerve of most Socceroos fans, with Tony Popovic opting to drop Nestory Irankunda and Connor Metcalfe - the two goalscorers against Turkiye - to the bench.
I get what Popovic was trying to do and I don't necessarily disagree with it in this specific situation, but it was the players the manager decided to bring in that caused a stir. Mat Leckie is well into the twilight of his career and barely played in the A-League due to injury and Nishan Velupillay had a bang average season and was only picked because of his history with Popovic at Melbourne Victory. Two absolutely shocking calls from Popa and unsurprisingly Leckie picked up a hamstring injury that should rule him out of the tournament.
But anyway, second place is still within the Socceroos' grasp, with the team only needing to pick up a point here, which would see them face either Egypt, Belgium, Iran or New Zealand in the R32. Paraguay meanwhile are coming off a brave 1-0 win over Turkiye with 10 men for most of the game, withstanding 32 shots, much like Australia did in their opening game.
This is a terrible game for betting. Both sides would be happy with a point, but obviously Paraguay would rather come second - but they're naturally pragmatic with the ball and don't offer much going forward. No surprise to see the draw at only $2.15 odds and it's not worth the punt in my eyes.
I'm going to back BTTS - No as the best bet and I'll also go Under 1.5 goals for a bit of plus money value, with both sides incredibly uninspiring in the final third. I'm going to take a chance with Cristian Volpato and Nestory Irankunda for at least one shot on target - there's no question the pair are Australia's two best attacking players and they were both dangerous when they came on in the second half against USA.
Paraguay vs Australia Stats & Trends
- Paraguay have seen BTTS - No in six of their last eight World Cup qualifying or finals games
- Australia have seen BTTS - No in seven of their last 10 games
- Paraguay have seen Under 1.5 goals in four of their last five World Cup qualifying or finals games
- Nestory Irankunda had two shots on target vs Turkiye and will be lively again in the final third
- Cristian Volpato was easily Australia's best vs USA and was heavily involved up front - he's a confident individual and will attempt a shot at any opportunity
Paraguay vs Australia Head To Head
Australia are unbeaten in five previous meetings with Paraguay, winning their last clash 1-0 in a 2010 friendly. However, the Socceroos don't have a good record overall vs South American nations and have lost four of five such games at World Cups.
Paraguay Form Analysis
Paraguay beat the likes of Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay during World Cup qualifying, but were blown off the park by USA in their opening game, going down 4-1 and it easily could have been more.
You can usually take those qualifying wins in South America with a grain of salt as home ground advantage plays a huge role in lots of those fixtures.
Gustavo Alfaro's side bounced back with a gritty performance against Turkiye, with Matias Galarza scoring inside the opening two minutes. However, Miggy Almiron was sent off later in the first half, meaning Paraguay were forced to hold on, withstanding 32 shots from their opponents to secure a memorable 1-0 victory and give themselves a great chance of securing knockout football.
Paraguay have never won two matches at a World Cup and will be hoping to make the knockout phase like their last appearance in 2010.
Paraguay Team News
Julian Enciso is the main man for Paraguay, with the Strasbourg playmaker providing two assists and now looking to become the first player since Michael Ballack in 2002 to register an assist in all three group games.
Almiron will miss this game due to his suspension, while midfielder Diego Gomez is also carrying a knock after being replaced against Turkiye.
Paraguay Squad
| Pos | Player | Age | Caps | Goals | Club |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GK | Gatito Fernández | 38 | 31 | 0 | Cerro Porteño |
| GK | Orlando Gill | 26 | 8 | 0 | San Lorenzo |
| GK | Gastón Olveira | 33 | 1 | 0 | Olimpia |
| DF | Gustavo Velázquez | 35 | 15 | 1 | Cerro Porteño |
| DF | Omar Alderete | 29 | 38 | 3 | Sunderland |
| DF | Juan José Cáceres | 26 | 19 | 0 | Dynamo Moscow |
| DF | Fabián Balbuena | 34 | 48 | 2 | Grêmio |
| DF | Júnior Alonso | 33 | 73 | 3 | Atlético Mineiro |
| DF | José Canale | 29 | 3 | 0 | Lanús |
| DF | Gustavo Gómez | 33 | 91 | 4 | Palmeiras |
| DF | Alexandro Maidana | 20 | 3 | 1 | Talleres |
| MF | Ramón Sosa | 26 | 30 | 1 | Palmeiras |
| MF | Diego Gómez | 23 | 26 | 3 | Brighton & Hove Albion |
| MF | Miguel Almirón | 32 | 78 | 10 | Atlanta United |
| MF | Maurício | 25 | 4 | 1 | Palmeiras |
| MF | Andrés Cubas | 30 | 35 | 0 | Vancouver Whitecaps |
| MF | Damián Bobadilla | 24 | 21 | 1 | São Paulo |
| MF | Kaku | 31 | 34 | 6 | Al Ain |
| MF | Braian Ojeda | 25 | 17 | 0 | Orlando City |
| MF | Matías Galarza | 24 | 16 | 4 | Atlanta United |
| MF | Gustavo Caballero | 24 | 2 | 1 | Portsmouth |
| FW | Antonio Sanabria | 30 | 49 | 7 | Cremonese |
| FW | Álex Arce | 31 | 16 | 1 | Independiente Rivadavia |
| FW | Julio Enciso | 22 | 34 | 4 | Strasbourg |
| FW | Gabriel Ávalos | 34 | 24 | 2 | Independiente |
| FW | Isidro Pitta | 26 | 6 | 0 | Red Bull Bragantino |
Australia Form Analysis
Australia didn't arrive at this World Cup in good form, but two moments of individual brilliance from Nestory Irankunda and Connor Metcalfe secured all three points in a superb 2-0 victory over Turkiye in their opening game.
However, some negative and downright abysmal selection calls from Popovic saw the Socceroos on the back foot early against USA and they never recovered, despite an improved showing in the second stanza when Irankunda and Volpato were both introduced and Leckie & Velupillay made way.
However, for all of Australia's struggles in that game, they were brought down by an own goal and a VAR decision that really could have been given offside for interference.
The current scenario is very similar to that of 2006, where the Socceroos won their first game by a two-goal margin before losing the second 2-0, needing a point in the final clash to secure a place in the knockout phase.
Australia Team News
Leckie suffered a hamstring injury and is out for this game and probably the rest of the tournament, while there's surely no way Velupillay sees any more game time this World Cup.
Jacob Italiano is also out with injury at right back, meaning either Jason Geria or Kai Trewin will come into that role. Also a chance 18-year-old rising star Lucas Herrington comes into the defence for Cam Burgess, who struggled against USA and conceded the own goal.
Volpato is arguably Australia's most technically gifted footballer since Harry Kewell and will see more game time here - but whether Popovic starts the Sassuolo attacker is anyone's guess. Same goes for Irankunda, who might again be used as an impact player off the bench.
Australia Squad
| Pos | Player | Age | Caps | Goals | Club |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GK | Mathew Ryan (Captain) | 34 | 104 | 0 | Levante |
| GK | Paul Izzo | 31 | 4 | 0 | Randers |
| GK | Patrick Beach | 22 | 4 | 0 | Melbourne City |
| DF | Miloš Degenek | 32 | 57 | 1 | APOEL |
| DF | Alessandro Circati | 22 | 15 | 1 | Parma |
| DF | Jacob Italiano | 24 | 7 | 0 | Grazer AK |
| DF | Jordan Bos | 23 | 29 | 4 | Feyenoord |
| DF | Jason Geria | 33 | 16 | 0 | Albirex Niigata |
| DF | Kai Trewin | 25 | 6 | 0 | New York City |
| DF | Aziz Behich | 35 | 85 | 3 | Melbourne City |
| DF | Harry Souttar | 27 | 40 | 11 | Leicester City |
| DF | Cameron Burgess | 30 | 29 | 0 | Swansea City |
| DF | Lucas Herrington | 18 | 4 | 0 | Colorado Rapids |
| MF | Connor Metcalfe | 26 | 38 | 2 | FC St. Pauli |
| MF | Ajdin Hrustić | 29 | 37 | 4 | Heracles Almelo |
| MF | Aiden O'Neill | 27 | 33 | 0 | New York City |
| MF | Cammy Devlin | 28 | 5 | 0 | Heart of Midlothian |
| MF | Jackson Irvine | 33 | 84 | 14 | FC St. Pauli |
| MF | Paul Okon-Engstler | 21 | 8 | 0 | Sydney FC |
| FW | Mathew Leckie | 35 | 81 | 14 | Melbourne City |
| FW | Mohamed Touré | 22 | 12 | 2 | Norwich City |
| FW | Awer Mabil | 30 | 38 | 10 | Castellón |
| FW | Nestory Irankunda | 20 | 17 | 6 | Watford |
| FW | Cristian Volpato | 22 | 2 | 0 | Sassuolo |
| FW | Nishan Velupillay | 25 | 9 | 3 | Melbourne Victory |
| FW | Tete Yengi | 25 | 2 | 1 | Machida Zelvia |
Paraguay vs Australia Live Stream
Watch and bet on Paraguay vs Australia live football from the World Cup.
You can watch and bet on the match live at bet365 > Soccer > World Cup 2026 with the action available to stream on desktop and mobile.
Geo-restrictions apply, you'll need a funded account or to have placed a bet in the last 24 hours to gain access.
To use the Live Streaming service you will need to be logged in and have a funded account or to have placed a bet in the last 24 hours. Note, under Australian law, Live Streaming on bet365 is exempt from Parts 3 and 4 of the Broadcasting Services (Online Content Service Provider Rules) 2018.
Verdict
As mentioned, not a great game to bet on, but my plays are BTTS - No, Under 1.5 goals and Volpato & Irankunda shots on target.
BTTS - No
Both Teams To Score
$1.65 - 2 Units
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Under 1.5
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Cristian Volpato 1+
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