Ecuador and Peru have no more room for mistakes as the CONMEBOL World Cup qualifiers approach their halfway point. Who will claim the three points in Quito?
Ecuador’s new coach Sebastian Beccacece made his debut against Brazil on Saturday and claims he was happy with the performance despite the 1-0 defeat. La Tri had more than enough chances to equalise but have to be more clinical in the final third to claim the three points against Peru.
La Blanquirroja fought their way to a 1-1 draw against Colombia on the same day and while this can be considered a positive result, Peru remain without a win after seven qualification matches. With just three points and a 2:9 goal difference, Peru now need a long win streak to maintain even the slightest chances of reaching the World Cup.
Manager Jorge Fossati is yet to win an official fixture with Petu since he took the reins in 2023 but defeating Ecuador on the road will be a considerable challenge. La Tri have not lost a home match since 2021 but it should be noted that their last defeat came exactly against Peru.
How the bookies view it: One possible outcome?
Ecuador stand as a heavy favourite among all bookmakers and you can pick them at ⅖ at Betfred. The draw has been priced at 3/1 while the unlikely upset is valued at 15/2.
Recent head-to-head: A competitive rivalry
Ecuador and Peru have met almost every year over the past decade and it is impossible to single out any side as the more dominant rival. Peru managed to pick up four wins in the last ten H2Hs while Ecuador stole the show three times. The two most recent games from 2021 and 2022 ended in draws.
Players to watch – Time for Valencia to score
Moises Caidedo has been the man to look at in Ecuador’s squad as he provided the assists to three of the team’s five goals since the start of the qualifiers. The experienced Enner Valencia will look to finally open his tally in this cycle as the nation’s all-time top goalscorer.
Peru’s Edison Flores is the primary suspect to score for la Blanquirroja as the striker has found the net three times in six H2Hs against Ecuador.
Probable line-ups
Ecuador: Galindez, Hincapie, Pacho, Torres, Estupinan, Sarmiento, Mendez, Caicedo, Franco, Valencia, Rodriguez
Peru: Gallese, Araujo, Zambrano, Callens, Advincula, Cartagena, Tapia, Pena, Lopez, Valera, Lapadula
Anything else catch the eye?
Based on the extensive H2H data, this fixture could turn out a lot more competitive than recent individual performances suggest. Peru have scored fewer goals than any other national team but they scored five times in the last three fixtures against Ecuador.
At the same time, the safest statistical bet is Under 2.5 goals. Only four of Peru’s last 30 international fixtures produced more than three goals. Ecuador have also had an average of 1.3 goals per match in seven rounds of qualifications.
This World Cup match between Ecuador and Peru will be played on Sep 10, 2024 and kick off at 22:00. Check below for our tipsters best Ecuador vs Peru prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
