Ecuador vs Paraguay
Another World Cup 2026 clash awaits as Ecuador will host Paraguay at the Estadio Rodrigo Paz Delgado on Friday.
Ranked fourth and seventh on the table, the home side are eyeing a fifth win in order to separate themselves from a dangerous chasing pack that have Brazil in it.
The 43-year-old manager lost his first competitive outing with the squad, with Brazil taking a close 1-0 win. However, he was successful the second time around, with Enner Valencia netting a second-half goal to beat the lowly Peruvians.
And whilst Ecuador are gunning to break away, Gustavo Alfaro’s Paraguay are hoping that their win over Brazil wasn’t in any way a fluke.
La Albirroja have taken four points in their last two matches and will have a chance to leapfrog their rivals should they deliver a win over Ecuador.
Talking Points
Ecuador’s deduction may haunt them in the end
Because of this fiasco, the Ecuadorian Football Federation was sanctioned by the Court of Arbitration of Sport, with the resulting penalty being the deducted points and a fine of 100,000 Swiss francs.
To their luck, a World Cup ban was avoided.
But even with their favourable standing in the tournament so far, the deducted points could very well cost Ecuador should the table continue to be as tight as it is right now.
More so that Ecuador have been scrapping away World Cup 2026 results so far, with plenty of close calls recently.
Should the worst happen and Ecuador tumble down the table, then fans will definitely rue those three points—especially in a tournament where every single one of them is worth its weight in gold.
Paraguay look to carry momentum in Ecuador visit
Who would’ve thought that Brazil would go down against Paraguay?
Certainly not me, or a lot of you for that matter.
Yet here we are, discussing the possibility of Paraguay shaking things up as a La Albirroja win on Friday can take them out of the seventh-place playoff spot.
Prior to the win, they were also able to take home a huge result against third-ranked Uruguay, holding the hosts in a goalless draw.
With these positive performances, Gustavo Alfaro can be confident that his side can come out of Ecuador with points at their disposal.
History
Despite being the underdogs for this one, La Albirroja have the upper hand in the head-to-head battle against La Tri (22W-7D-12L).
Gustavo Alfaro has also been on the other side of the fence, with the Argentine manager being Ecuador’s former head coach from 2020-2023.
The last five meetings between both sides have been closely contested, resulting in two wins, two losses and a draw.
In the 2022 qualifiers, then Ecuador manager Gustavo Alfaro suffered a 3-1 loss in the hands of Paraguay. It’s now in his best interest to hope that the result would be the same.
Betting Tip
Even with Paraguay’s recent form, the SBOTOP World Cup 2026 betting odds have Ecuador as the overwhelming favourites at 1.56. Meanwhile, a Paraguay win goes for 6.10, with a draw priced at 3.36.
On my end, I see this match being closer than the odds are telling us that’s why I have my sights set on a Double Chance Paraguay win or draw.
It is highly unlikely that Ecuador will suddenly play a different style of football that’ll render Paraguay helpless, and I do think that the momentum from the Uruguay and Brazil matches will serve La Albirroja well.
Paraguay will look for Miguel Almiron and Julio Enciso to produce the attacking threat needed, whilst Diego Gomez can continue his fine form in the upcoming match.
For Ecuador, Moises Caicedo and Enner Valencia lead the frontline, whilst Piero Hincapie and Pervis Estupinan are tasked with being the stopping forces at the back.
A SHORT EXPLANATION ON HOW OUR (⭐) BETS ARE WORTH:
⭐⭐⭐= €20 (HIGHLY CONFIDENT)
⭐⭐= €10 (CONFIDENT))
⭐= €5 (SOMEWHAT CONFIDENT)
Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
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