Colombia vs Ecuador prediction: SOUTH AMERICA: World Championship – Qualification betting tips on match 2024-11-19 23:00.
[p]Sitting just three points from the top of the CONMEBOL World Cup Qualifying (WCQ) table, Colombia will be suitably fired up for this clash after a controversial end to their previous game which saw Uruguay score a 90+11’ winner before throwing balls on the pitch to prevent a quick restart. Grievances aside, Colombia have a chance to bounce back and further secure their grip on what will likely be a first World Cup finals appearance since 2018. [/p]
[p]Returning home should be conducive to success, as whilst boss Néstor Lorenzo has suffered all three of his defeats since his 2022 appointment across his last six games, he is yet to oversee a competitive home defeat (W4, D1). A visit from Ecuador is unlikely to strike fear into the hearts of the home faithful either, as Colombia are unbeaten across the last eight home WCQ H2Hs (W6, D2), keeping an impressive seven clean sheets in the process. [/p]
[p]Sitting three points below their hosts due to a points deduction, Ecuador enter this as clear outsiders, but it’s difficult to write off a side who travel here on the back of what is a new national record of four straight clean sheets in WCQs (W2, D2). That means it’s been a decent five-game start to life at helm for Sebastián Beccacece as he seeks to achieve back-to-back World Cup appearances for the first time since 2002-2006 for Ecuador. [/p]
[p]Despite Beccacece’s strong start to his tenure, Ecuador will be up against it away from home, where they have won just one of their last seven WCQs (D3, L3). Failing to even get on the scoresheet in the last three of those matches, Ecuador will do well to grab a goal in their quest for a first competitive away H2H victory since a 1-0 win right here in Baranquilla way back in 1965. [/p]
[p]Players to watch: Colombian midfielder Juan Quintero scored his fourth goal in as many appearances for club & country with his first-half opener against Uruguay in the previous round. As for Ecuador, 35 year-old veteran Enner Valencia quadrupled his goal contribution tally (G2, A2) in this qualifying cycle with three in Ecuador’s 4-0 thumping of Bolivia last time out. [/p]
[p]Hot stat: Colombia scored in both halves in four of their last six home WCQs. [/p]
[p][i]Written by Matthew Billon[/i][/p]