Australia vs Ecuador prediction: WORLD: Friendly International betting tips on match 2023-03-27 08:30.
Australia followed up their best-ever World Cup finals performance with a 3-1 win over Ecuador, in what was their first regulation time win over a South American nation in more than 12 years (D3, L6). As they continue preparations for the 2023 Asian Cup in Qatar, the âSocceroosâ now meet Ecuador for the second time in five days as the two teams move south to Melbourneâs 55,000-capacity indoor Marvel Stadium.
Manager Graham Arnold cautioned his young squad to ânot get carried awayâ against âa very good teamâ despite that surprisingly positive result, and with eight of the 16 players used in Sydney last week possessing less than ten international caps each, this will be a valuable opportunity to build some consistency and perhaps earn what would be Australiaâs ninth win in 11 matches.
New Ecuador boss FĂ©lix SĂĄnchez joined recent predecessors such as Gustavo Alfaro, Jorge CĂ©lico, Gustavo Quinteros and Sixto Vizuete by beginning a new tenure with a loss, but did not appear particularly concerned about what was the sixth time in seven matches that Ecuador failed to win (W1, D4, L2). SĂĄnchez pointed to the difficulty of establishing team chemistry after just one training session with a full squad, saying the âquality of the players is there and we are quite optimisticâ.
The former Qatar boss hinted at the likelihood of a new formation and playing XI in response to the loss, saying âwe need to adjust many tactical thingsâ. He will certainly have to find a replacement for Brighton midfielder Jeremy Sarmiento who suffered a fractured metatarsal during the first half. Now with just two wins from their last nine matches in opposition territory (W2, D2, L5), working on their travelling form ahead of an expanded 2024 Copa AmĂ©rica will be one aim for the new regime.
Players to watch: Awer Mabil has found the back of the net in three of Australiaâs seven wins since their last game in Melbourne, which includes putting one past Ecuadorian goalkeeper MoisĂ©s RamĂrez, who is yet to gain a clean sheet away from home when representing his nation.
Hot stat: Five of the seven menâs internationals played at Marvel Stadium have seen one or no teams score on the day.