Ecuador vs Brazil

Ecuador will be targeting a massive step towards their first World Cup qualification since 2014 when they meet Brazil at the Estadio Rodrigo Paz Delgado.

An unexpected 2-0 victory at the expense of Chile last time out made it two World Cup qualifying wins in a row as Ecuador look to be waltzing away with the ‘Qatar 2022’ spot. With four games left, ‘La Tri’ boast a six-point lead over fifth-placed Peru and appear to be on course to reaching only their fourth-ever World Cup finals. Now back on home turf in Quito, Gustavo Alfaro’s men will be looking to build on a run of four consecutive World Cup qualifying clean sheets at home (W3, D1) and defy the odds against the continental powerhouse Brazil. That could be easier said than done, as they’ve gone winless in their last 11 H2HS (D3, L8), including a 2-0 defeat in the reverse fixture in Porto Alegre, back in June 2021.

In the meantime, Brazil became the first South American nation to qualify for the upcoming tournament following a 1-0 home win over Colombia back in November. Having advanced to ‘Qatar 2022’ with a fistful of games to spare, the Brazilians will be looking to maintain their unbeaten record in the ongoing qualifying campaign (W11, D2) and potentially become the first side to go the entire 18-game format without a single defeat. Notably, Tite’s men have conceded just once in their last six World Cup qualifiers away from home (W4, D2) since a come-from-behind 4-2 victory over Peru in their first road trip of the campaign. However, it’s worth noting that their last two World Cup qualifiers on hostile soil have yielded scoreless draws, underlining the possibility for a cagey, low-scoring fixture.