Ecuador vs Argentina Predictions

• Both teams have scored in four of the hosts last five games.
• Argentina are unbeaten across their last 30 matches.
• Ecuador have lost just one of their eight World Cup qualifiers that have taken place on home soil.

Ecuador have surprised a few

Gustavo Alfaro’s men were certainly not one of the favoured sides to clinch a spot in the top five and as a result, qualify for the World Cup. But La Tri have done so in remarkable fashion, claiming 16 points from their opening 10 games left them in a strong position and they continued their fine form, putting together a five-match unbeaten run where they beat Venezuela and Chile before securing draws against Colombia, Brazil and Peru. They faced Paraguay last time out knowing that a victory would guarantee them a top-four finish and automatic progression. They were unable to take a single point from that match but as Peru were also defeated, Ecuador advanced anyway.

Argentina, much like Brazil, have certainly lived up to expectations and are sitting pretty in second spot with a place at the World Cup already guaranteed. Also, like the Brazilians, Argentina are yet to taste defeat across the entire qualifying campaign, largely due to their exceptional defence that has only been breached seven times in the 16 matches they’ve played. It’s highly unlikely that the visitors will finish ahead of Brazil at this stage but all they can do is keep winning and hope Brazil have a monumental slip-up.

Argentina to put in professional performance

Both sides are already assured of qualification, so it’s difficult to see where the motivation is. Argentina will do what they can to top the group as unlikely as it seems and they have a phenomenal unbeaten record. They also have a formidable backline and we don’t see Ecuador playing with too much intensity given that they are also already through. We fancy Argentina to edge a low scoring affair.