Bolivia vs Ecuador prediction: SOUTH AMERICA: World Championship – Qualification betting tips on match 2023-10-12 23:00.
Bolivia were subjected to a baptism of fire in their opening two FIFA World Cup qualifiers (WCQ), facing giants Brazil and Argentina in their first two matches. A pair of defeats by an aggregate score of 8-1 represents a dreadful start in their attempt to reach a first finals since 1994, but the visit of Ecuador offers the opportunity to kickstart their campaign, although La Verde have a poor H2H record in WCQs (W2, D3, L11).
Gustavo Costas’ men are winless in competitive internationals since November 2021 (L6), a run that has seen them score just four and concede a whopping 22 goals. One crumb of comfort at least comes from the fact that all 22 of their WCQ wins this century have come on home soil, but you have to go back even further than that to find the last time they beat Ecuador in a WCQ, last doing so in 1996/97!
The visitors also suffered the fate of losing to Argentina in one of their opening two qualifiers, but bounced back with an impressive display to see off Uruguay (2-1). That victory wiped out their three-point deduction for fielding an ineligible player in 2022 qualifying, a punishment that could prove costly in such a competitive path to the 2026 World Cup finals.
After reaching the 2022 edition, Ecuador are looking to reach back-to-back finals for just the second time, but that’ll look less and less feasible if their dismal away form continues. The Tricolors have won just two of their last 17 WCQ matches on the road (D3, L12), a record that puts huge stress on their results on home soil, as they’ve needed at least seven overall wins in each of their four successful qualifying campaigns.
Players to watch: Bolivia midfielder Luciano Ursino netted in a 2-1 defeat to Panama in August, and he’s directly contributed to ten goals in 21 club league appearances this season (G7, A3). Ecuador have goalscoring threats from every position, including centre-back Félix Torres, who has scored four times in 13 WCQs after a brace in the recent 2-1 victory over Uruguay.
Hot stat: Ecuador have scored more than twice in just one of their last 16 WCQ matches, with that sole exception coming against Bolivia (3-0).