Chile will continue their preparations for the 2026 World Cup qualifiers when they welcome Marcelo Neveleff's Dominican Republic side to Estadio Sausalito for an international friendly on Friday.
La Roja come into this match following a solid 3-0 win over Cuba on Monday, while Los Quisqueyanos capped off their CONCACAF Nations League campaign with a 2-0 victory over Belize back in March, marking the second consecutive match undefeated under their new boss.
Match preview
© Reuters
Eduardo Berizzo's task of restoring Chilean football to its glory days has not been an easy one, with some of his best players, like Alexis Sanchez, Arturo Vidal and Gary Medel reaching the back end of their illustrious careers.
The Chilean boss opted for a fresh look to his side against Cuba on Monday night, fielding as many as nine players with five or fewer international matches under their belts, including three debutants in Cristobal Campos, Alexander Aravena and Javier Altamirano.
His decision ultimately paid dividends as the new-look La Roja overpowered their Caribbean opponents led by the 23-year-old midfielder Marcelino Nunez, who scored in both halves, while Rodrigo Echeverria netted the all-important second goal in only his second appearance for his country just before the half-hour mark.
With that win, Chile are now unbeaten in their last three matches and will be looking to emulate the good form they showed in the last two matches in this one against a steadily improving Dominican Republic side before heading off to take on familiar foes Bolivia next week.
Another couple of solid performances in the upcoming matches will go a long way in helping La Roja build up a head of steam as they close in on the 2026 World Cup qualifiers that have been confirmed to start in September this year, where they will have a tricky opening match against Uruguay on matchday 1.
© Reuters
Neveleff has made an excellent impression since being appointed as the manager of the Dominican Republic national team earlier this year, and following that 2-0 win over Belize, there will be a genuine feel-good factor around the camp.
In that match, midfielder Edarlyn Reyes fired a left-footed shot from just outside the box to open the scoring for his side inside the first quarter of an hour before Nowend Lorenzo came off the bench to seal the win in the 60th minute.
Since then, the Los Quisqueyanos boss has made a few big behind-the-scenes moves to lure several well-known players, including Leeds United's Junior Firpo and OGC Nice midfielder Pablo Rosario, into switching international allegiances in favour of the Caribbean outfit.
The Dominican Republic, who are ranked 151st according to the Fifa Men's World Rankings, have never qualified for a World Cup or CONCACAF Gold Cup, and should the pair decide to make the switch, it would make them two of the most high-profile players in the country's history with none of the other players in the squad competing in any of the major leagues in the world.
Friday's match will mark the first-ever meeting between these sides in an international fixture, and while the Chileans will be heavily fancied to emerge as the winners, it would come as little surprise if Los Quisqueyanos gave another good account of themselves in this one.
- L
- D
- L
- D
- W
- W
- W
- L
- L
- D
- L
- D
- D
- L
- L
- D
- D
- W
Team News
© Reuters
After coming off the bench against Cuba, Medel overtook Sanchez as the most-capped player in Chilean history with 154 appearances, and he will be expecting to increase that tally, possibly at the expense of Williams Alarcon or Aravena, who were withdrawn shortly after the hour mark in their last match.
Nunez and Echeverria's goals in the last match should mean that they continue in their respective roles for the hosts, while Lucas Assadi will be hoping to hear his number called in an attacking role which would see Altamirano drop to the bench.
The full-back slots will likely remain unchanged with Nayel Mehssatou and Eugenio Mena, though Guillermo Maripan could step in for Matias Zaldivia alongside Echeverria in the center-back role.
Inter Miami forward Edison Azcona has received a call-up by Neveleff after he made history by scoring his country's first goal at any World Cup at the Under-20 tournament against Nigeria last month.
The 19-year-old could fit straight into the starting 11 for Los Quisqueyanos, with Carlos Ventura or Daniel Flores the most likely to make way.
Lorenzo's cool finish against Belize may have secured him a starting role with fellow goalscorer Reyes, while Erick Japa's early withdrawal in that match may be a sign that he is the most likely to make way.
Chile possible starting lineup:
Campos; Mehssatou, Maripan, Echeverria, Mena; Alarcon, Nunez, Davilla, Medel, Altamirano; Bolados
Dominican Republic possible starting lineup:
Santurro; Melo, Garcia, Lopez, Diaz; Dabas, Flores, Messina, Reyes, Azcona; Lorenzo
We say: Chile 2-0 Dominican Republic
The Dominican Republic have improved noticeably this year but are yet to face an opponent with the sort of attacking prowess that Chile possesses, and while they are not expected to win this match, they will gain bags of experience that will be invaluable to their still relatively young squad for the future.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
