As the World Cup qualifiers reach a critical stage, Ecuador will be hoping to push further up the table with a win over Paraguay. These teams will face off on October 10th in South America, and things could get very interesting!
That said, join us as we review this game and provide our key predictions right here.
How the bookies view it: Ecuador favoured
With Ecuador ranked 27 in the FIFA rankings right now, the bookies understandably favour the home team here. Betano has them priced at 3/5 for a win over Paraguay, while the visitors are priced at just 11/2. Then again, with Paraguay sitting in 7th compared to Ecuador in 4th, these odds do make sense.
Head-to-head: Paraguay surprisingly successful
You’d assume that Ecuador has always been reasonably successful against Paraguay in the past. After all, Ecuador has a few Premier League players in their ranks! But looking back through their recent encounters, Ecuador has actually struggled against their South American rivals more than you’d expect. Paraguay has beaten Ecuador in two of their last five meetings.
However, Ecuador has beaten Paraguay in two of the recent three home fixtures, putting 8 goals past them across those three games.
Players to watch: Moises Caicedo and Diego Gomez
Starting from the home team's perspective, Moises Caicedo is Ecuador's playmaker. Of course, he’s also the captain, which means Ecuador expects him to lead from the front. He is capable of creating chances for the forwards while finding the back of the net himself, too. Hence, his odds to score here are 19/4.
As for Paraguay, assuming Diego Gomez is fit and ready to play on Thursday, he could be the one to produce some magic for the visitors. After all, he scored their only goal to cause a huge 1-0 upset of Brazil not too long ago. And if you back him to score anytime, you can lock in 8/1 odds right now.
Predicted lineups
While there are still a few question marks over Diego Gomez, Paraguay’s squad seems relatively fixed and good to go for this clash. The same goes for Ecuador. So, with both teams fighting fit and ready to go all out, Ecuador vs Paraguay should be an exciting contest.
Ecuador possible starting lineup:
Galindez; Ordonez, Pacho, Hincapie; Preciado, Franco, Caicedo, Estupinan; Plata, Valencia, Sarmiento
Paraguay possible starting lineup:
Fernandez; Caceres, Alonso, Alderete, Arzamendia; Villasanti, Enciso, Gomez; Almiron, Pitta, Sosa
Anything else catch the eye?
When Ecuador have faced Paraguay in recent times, they have tended to be reasonably high-scoring affairs. In fact, both teams have scored in four of their last five meetings, and this market has odds of 17/10 at Betano right now.
Additionally, five of their last six meetings have involved more than 2.5 goals, so the statistics are strong for this pick, too. As for the corresponding odds, this market has a current price of 8/5, which is very appealing!
Of course, if historical meetings are anything to go by, both of these markets have strong potential to pull through.
This World Cup match between Ecuador and Paraguay will be played on Oct 10, 2024 and kick off at 22:00. Check below for our tipsters best Ecuador vs Paraguay prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
