World Cup 2022: Old and Familiar Foes Meet Again in the Qualifiers

Ecuador vs Paraguay

Ecuador and Paraguay are set to lock horns anew this Thursday at the Estadio Rodrigo Paz Delgado, with both aiming to secure crucial points here in the World Cup 2022 qualifiers.

With only the top four nations eligible to advance in the next round of the qualifiers for Qatar, there’s a huge sense of urgency for Ecuador and Paraguay to pick up more points in the following round of matches.

Looking at the CONMEBOL table, Ecuador are at third place behind Brazil and Argentina with nine points, while Paraguay are three notches below them with seven points.

Both countries are ready to go after their respective campaigns in the Copa America few months ago. Ecuador and Paraguay made it into the top eight, but neither were able to make a deeper run.

With that in mind, La Tri and La Albirroja are looking to do better this time around. And today, SBOTOP offers a glimpse on what we can expect from these two proud squads.

Talking Points

Ecuador won’t be fazed despite lineup doubts

La Tri might have several absentees in this upcoming fixture against La Albirroja this Thursday evening.

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K-League

Head coach Gustavo Alfaro bared that Sebas Mendez will remain at the infirmary since he is recovering from the fractured foot that he sustained during an MLS game last July 17.

Mendez has been a bright spot for La Tri during this year’s Copa America and his absence certainly hurts their midfield depth.

Meanwhile, nine other players aren’t confirmed yet to play while Piero Hincapie, Alexander Dominguez, and Moises Caicedo are going to be sidelined because of suspension.

Dominguez’s absence won’t hurt Ecuador that much since they have another experienced keeper in Hernan Galindez, but it would be better if they’ll have both Hincapie and Caicedo available.

Hincapie’s stock has dramatically risen after a solid campaign in the Copa America and he was scooped up right away by Bayer Leverkusen during the transfer window to shore up their centre-back depth.

Caicedo, who was previously touted as the next N’Golo Kante, is also an intriguing young talent at 19 years old and he was sought after by Newcastle and Manchester United this summer before joining Brighton.

But nonetheless, Ecuador should still have enough quality to pull out a win as the front three of Angel Mena, Enner Valencia, and Diego Palacios can outpower Paraguay’s backline.

Miguel Almiron’s availability for Paraguay is a huge question mark

La Albirroja’s World Cup 2022 results in the qualifiers have been subpar and they’ll be determined to snap their four-game winless skid on Thursday.

Miguel Almiron is on doubt to play for Paraguay against Ecuador in World Cup 2022 — Paraguay’s Miguel Almiron during their match against Chile in Copa America

But their campaign in the group stages hinges on the availability of Miguel Almiron, whose fate with the national team is uncertain due to certain COVID-19 restrictions.

Paraguay will face Ecuador, Colombia, and Venezuela in their next round of games, and all of those nations are all on UK’s red list.

Should Almiron join La Albirroja, he’ll have to undergo self-isolation for 10 days and he’ll miss a game or two in the Premier League when he returns from international duty.

As of this moment, Premier League clubs are in talks with the government in a bid to ease the said COVID-19 restrictions. However, assuming that they won’t, Paraguay are going to miss a vital cog.

History

It’s surprising to learn that Ecuador and Paraguay are about to clash for the first time in four years. La Tri and La Albirroja have never squared off in the 2021 Copa America, especially with them being placed in different groups.

Their previous meeting in the World Cup 2018 qualifiers in March 2017 ended in a 2-1 victory for Paraguay as their centre-backs in Bruno Valdez and Junior Alonso cancelled out Felipe Caicedo’s goal for Ecuador.

In their 12 total international fixtures together, La Albirroja hold a slim lead in the head-to-heads with five wins while La Tri had four victories along with three draws.

Betting Tip

	Ecuador vs Paraguay	Ecuador Asian Handicap -0.75 @ 2.13
	September 3, 05:00 (GMT+8)

Despite being undermanned, Ecuador remain the favourites in the updated World Cup 2022 odds.

The hosts are installed at 1.86, while their visitors in Paraguay are priced at 4.40 to win and chances for a draw are at 3.15 in the 1X2 market.

Ecuador may face a tall task of winning this game, but one can argue that there’s bigger pressure for Paraguay since they are at a more precarious position.

Under Gustavo Alfaro, La Tri have developed into a solid unit that is capable of withstanding challenges. So for that reason alone, we see them winning this game but it will be earned the hard way.