By David Salazar (staff@latinospost.com) | First Posted: Sep 11, 2012 11:13 AM EDT

The CONMEBOL enters Day 8 of World Cup Qualifications after an eventful round on Friday. Colombia destroyed Uruguay 4-0 to vault into the top 5. Argentina's win over Paraguay put them at the top of the table while Venezuela's loss put them out of the top 5. Ecuador's win over Bolivia solidified their qualification status. Here are the standings entering Tuesday's matches.

Team

Pld

Wins

Draws

Losses

Goals For

Goals Against

Goal Differential

Pts

 Argentina

6

4

1

1

14

5

+9

13

 Chile

6

4

0

2

11

10

+1

12

 Ecuador

6

4

0

2

7

6

+1

12

 Uruguay

6

3

2

1

14

10

+4

11

 Colombia

6

3

1

2

9

5

+4

10

 Venezuela

7

2

2

3

5

8

-3

8

 Peru

6

2

0

4

8

12

-4

6

 Bolivia

7

1

1

5

7

12

-5

4

 Paraguay

6

1

1

4

5

12

-7

4

Uruguay vs. Ecuador 5:30 PM

One team looks to continue its upward trajectory while the other looks to stop its descent. Interestingly, it is not the team one would expect on the decline. Uruguay placed fourth at the 2-1 World Cup but was destroyed 4-0 against Colombia on Friday. Their offense was ineffective despite having a decent amount of quality chances. Diego Forlan in particular needs to step up if this team is going to win this match.
Ecuador won its second straight 1-0 game after taking down Bolivia. They now have 12 points and are safely in third place on the table. Offense has been their biggest difficulty though they have a clear advantage defensively.

Prediction: Uruguay Wins 2-0.