✅Ecuador vs Paraguay
✅World Cup, KO: 22:00 Oct 10, 2024, Estadio Rodrigo Paz Delgado
✅Ecuador go head-to-head against Paraguay on Thursday. Read our Predictions and Betting Tips with Match Preview, Head-to-head stats (h2h) and Team Form Analysis.
Our prediction for this World Cup 2026 match:
Buoyed by a hard-fought 1-0 win over Peru, Ecuador will look to give fans yet another reason to celebrate when they take on Paraguay on Thursday evening. La Tricolor quickly bounced back from a 1-0 loss to Brazil, with the team regaining a much-needed confidence, but they need to keep on making progress if they are to book their place at the showpiece tournament at Mexico, USA, and Canada.
As Ecuador head coach Sebastian Beccacece can count on key players for Thursday’s qualifier, home win should be considered. La Albirroja, on the other hand, did well to shock star-studded Brazil at home in September, but given their difficulties on the road, we believe that there is a big value in betting on La Tricolor. Getafe defender Omar Alderete has overcome his injury, while Miguel Almiron should start against Ecuador despite losing his spot in Newcastle United’s starting XI.
How the bookies view it: Ecuador favoured
With Ecuador ranked 27 in the FIFA rankings right now, the bookies understandably favour the home team here. Jililuck has them priced at 3/5 for a win over Paraguay, while the visitors are priced at just 11/2 Wjpeso. Then again, with Paraguay sitting in 7th compared to Ecuador in 4th, these odds do make sense.
Highlighted Team (Ecuador):
Ecuador had endured difficult times in footballing terms having been considered to be one of the more struggling football nations in South America, but the Tri have managed to transform themselves into a team that can never be taken lightly at the international scene.
Ecuador has taken part in three of the 22 World Cups with 12 position they achieved in 2006 in Germany being their best result so far. La Tricolor head into Copa America Centenario tied at the top of CONMEBOL’s World Cup qualifying table and their chances of making it through from group B have been increased with good results and alike performances.
Ivan Hurtado played for El Tri since 1992 to 2014 and former centre-back remains the most capped international with 168 games to his name. Ecuador captain Walter Ayovi is the active player with most games in the national team, while Felipe Caicedo with 19 goals is the top scorer of Gustavo Quinteros’ side.
Head-to-head: Paraguay surprisingly successful
You’d assume that Ecuador has always been reasonably successful against Paraguay in the past. After all, Ecuador has a few Premier League players in their ranks! But looking back through their recent encounters, Ecuador has actually struggled against their South American rivals more than you’d expect. Paraguay has beaten Ecuador in two of their last five meetings.
However, Ecuador has beaten Paraguay in two of the recent three home fixtures, putting 8 goals past them across those three games.
Ecuador vs Paraguay Prediction
Ecuador returned to winning ways after defeats to Argentina and Brazil as they dispatched Peru 1-0 last month in the seventh round of the CONMEBOL World Cup Qualifications.
Enner Valencia made the difference in the mentioned victory, scoring his maiden goal of the campaign on the occasion.
Ecuador climbed to fourth position in the standings as a consequence with four wins in eight games.
They limited Peru to just two shots, none of which went on target. El Tri have generally been very tough to break down during this campaign, shipping no more than four goals in the inaugural eight affairs.
They’ll have a nice chance to continue their strong defensive form here against Paraguay who have found goals hard to come by so far in the competition.
The visitors found the back of the net just twice in eight games. One of these two goals came in a shocking 1-0 victory over the likes of Brazil last month, though.
This is a textbook example of a low-scoring scenario in a football game. Defensive lines are by far the stronger parts of both outfits.
None of Ecuador’s last four matches saw three or more goals scored. Paraguay have a goal difference of 2-3 in eight matches of the competition.
The fact they kept Brazil at bay a month ago speaks volumes about their current defensive rhythm.
The main bet will thus be Under 1.5 goals FT at the 2.37 odds while the braver tipsters can chase the HT/FT options.
You can back draw at the half time and Ecuador’s win at the end at the odds of 3.75. Ecuador have three wins and a draw in four home qualifiers in this term. We expect them to find the late winner against a stubborn Paraguay defence on Thursday.
Players to watch: Moises Caicedo and Diego Gomez
Starting from the home team’s perspective, Moises Caicedo is Ecuador’s playmaker. Of course, he’s also the captain, which means Ecuador expects him to lead from the front. He is capable of creating chances for the forwards while finding the back of the net himself, too. Hence, his odds to score here are 19/4.
As for Paraguay, assuming Diego Gomez is fit and ready to play on Thursday, he could be the one to produce some magic for the visitors. After all, he scored their only goal to cause a huge 1-0 upset of Brazil not too long ago. And if you back him to score anytime, you can lock in 8/1 odds right now.
Predicted lineups
While there are still a few question marks over Diego Gomez, Paraguay’s squad seems relatively fixed and good to go for this clash. The same goes for Ecuador. So, with both teams fighting fit and ready to go all out, Ecuador vs Paraguay should be an exciting contest.
Ecuador possible starting lineup:
Galindez; Ordonez, Pacho, Hincapie; Preciado, Franco, Caicedo, Estupinan; Plata, Valencia, Sarmiento
Paraguay possible starting lineup:
Fernandez; Caceres, Alonso, Alderete, Arzamendia; Villasanti, Enciso, Gomez; Almiron, Pitta, Sosa
