Venezuela and Paraguay initiate their World Cup Qualification campaigns as major wild cards in the competition.

Both teams finished on the outside looking in after the 2014 qualifiers came to an end. Venezuela was seen as a vital contender that fell short while Paraguay unraveled into oblivion by the very end of it all.

Yet both sides found some respectability this summer stressing the fact that they could be in the conversation come 2017. Paraguay was the feisty contender from Group B that finished behind Argentina but managed to push the finalist to a 2-2 draw in the opening game of the group. In the quarterfinals Paraguay emerged victorious over Brazil before falling to Argentina. The team finished fourth in the tournament, but most would claim that it gained some respectability heading into the qualifiers.

Meanwhile Venezuela looked terrific defensively in the group of death, holding Colombia to no goals, losing 1-0 against Peru and then dropping a 2-1 game against Brazil. The team stymied Colombia with its brash style, cutting off the supply lines of James Rodriguez and Juan Cuadrado. Against the Brazil, the team mounted a brilliant comeback, coming within inches of a tying goal that would have put it on course for the quarterfinals.

Both teams know that they are massive underdogs heading into the competition, but they might just relish those odds.

Venezuela held the upper hand on Paraguay in this competition the last time these squads met. In 2012, Venezuela conquered the Paraguayans 2-0 in Asuncion. A year later the two sides drew 1-1 in Venezuela with their tournament hopes all but finished at that point in time.

Prediction: Venezuela is at home and will take advantage of having the crowd behind it in its revival run. A 1-0 win goes Venezuela’s way.

The game starts at 5 p.m. EDT and can be seen on beIN Sports USA.