ECUADOR will be targeting a confident start as they battle Venezuela in their opening Group B fixture at the Copa America. The Ecuadorians have looked solid in recent times and should have the upper hand over Venezuela, who have found things difficult lately.
Ecuador have never won the Copa America but are considered one of the more dangerous teams in the competition. They reached the quarter-finals in the previous edition and will be looking to improve on that record.
The Ecuadorians have looked sharp in the build-up to the Copa America, winning their last two matches. However, Felix Sanchez's men have been a bit suspect defensively and are without a clean sheet in their last four matches across all competitions.
Venezuela have never come close to winning the Copa America, with their best finish being a quarter-final berth. They crashed out of the group stage in 2021 after failing to win a single match.
The build-up to this year’s competition will not inspire much confidence among Venezuelans as they have struggled to find their rhythm. Fernando Batista’s men head into Saturday’s opener off the back of a five-match winless run.
How the bookies view it: Venezuela highly unfancied
Ecuador have been installed as overwhelming favourites among the bookies and are priced at 4/5 by bet365 to claim the win. A victory for Venezuela is valued at 7/2 while a draw is set at odds of 13/5.
Head to head: Ecuador with the edge
Ecuador have a 10-6 advantage with five draws from 21 previous matches against Venezuela. However, the last meeting was a 0-0 scoreline in a CONMEBOL World Cup qualifier back in November.
Last five H2H duels:
- 16/11/2023 (World Cup Qualifiers) – Venezuela 0-0 Ecuador
- 11/11/2021 (World Cup Qualifiers) – Ecuador 1-0 Venezuela
- 10/10/2021 (World Cup Qualifiers) – Venezuela 2-1 Ecuador
- 20/06/2021 (Copa America) – Venezuela 2-2 Ecuador
- 02/06/2019 (International Friendly) – Venezuela 1-1 Ecuador
Players to watch: Valencia leads the line
Enner Valencia is often involved in most of Ecuador’s attacking plays as will be the one to watch on Saturday. The striker looked lively in the warm-up games and is priced at 7/4 by bet365 to get on the score sheet.
Striker Salomon Rondon has caught the eye for Mexican club Pachuca lately and will be keen to bring that form into the national team. He is the all-time leading scorer for Venezuela with 41 goals and could be worth keeping an eye on at 7/2 with bet365.
Probable line-ups
Captain Enner Valencia should lead the line for Ecuador on Saturday while Piero Hincapie is expected to hold the fort in central defence. Moises Caicedo could be given the nod in midfield.
Salomon Rondon was a second half substitute in Venezuela’s final warm-up game and should feature from the start on Saturday. Captain Tomas Rincon is also expected to start in midfield.
Ecuador: Dominguez, Hincapie, Pacho, Torres, Preciado, Caicedo, Franco, Sarmiento, Paez, Yeboah, Valencia
Venezuela: Graterol, Gonzalez, Ferraresi, Osorio, Navarro, Pereira, Rincon, Savarino, Otero, Machis, Rondon
Anything else catch the eye?
Ecuador and Venezuela have some quality in attack and both teams could be backed to score at 6/5 by bet365. The Ecuadorians have seen over 2.5 goals in their last two matches and a repeat is priced at 13/10 with bet365.
The Ecuadorians have scored in both halves in their last two matches and could be set for a repeat at 12/5 with bet365.
This Copa America match between Ecuador and Venezuela will be played on Jun 22, 2024 and kick off at 23:00. Check below for our tipsters best Ecuador vs Venezuela prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
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