World Cup 2026: Brazil Must Turn the Tide Fast

Brazil vs Ecuador

There’s a big sense of urgency for Brazil, as they’re not in a great position to qualify for World Cup 2026. With only seven points in the first six matchdays, the Samba Boyz find themselves hanging on for dear life at the sixth spot.

Dropping to seventh is far from ideal for Brazil since it’ll mean that they’ll have to go through the inter-confederation playoffs in order to book their tickets to the United States.

And after bowing out of the Copa America quarter-finals earlier this summer, it’s back to the drawing board for Dorival Junior and co. Hopefully for Brazil, they’ve recharged from their two-month hiatus since they’ll host Ecuador at the Couto Pereira Stadium on Friday night.

Ecuador are right above Brazil in the CONMEBOL standings with eight points, and they’re keen on extending their unbeaten run to six consecutive qualifying matches.

 

Talking Points

Brazil need help from Real Madrid

Head coach Dorival Junior will likely call on the trio of Rodrygo, Vinicius Jr., and Endrick to produce goals on Friday, and it helps that the three of them have already found the back of the net early this season for Los Blancos.

National team record scorer Neymar is still out indefinitely due to his torn ACL, while Raphinha, typically the third attacker alongside Rodrygo and Vinicius Jr. in the starting XI, will serve a one-match ban for picking up his second yellow card in their most recent qualifier defeat against Argentina last November.

Richarlison was not called up for this international break, while fellow attackers Luiz Henrique and Estevao are eager to make their national team debut soon.

Bruno Guimaraes and Lucas Paqueta will lead the way in the middle of the park, while Real Madrid defender Eder Militao is expected to partner with Gabriel Magalhaes, Danilo, and Guilherme Arana to form their four-man backline.

Alisson will likely get the nod to start between the sticks over Manchester City’s Ederson, with the Liverpool goalkeeper set to make his 70^th appearance against Ecuador.

 

Ecuador’s talent factory will be on full display

Ecuador have slowly turned into a force to be reckoned with in the CONMEBOL region, thanks to their talent factory called the Independiente del Valle. Moises Caicedo, Piero Hincapie, and Willian Pacho are some of the club’s top success stories, and Kendry Paez is their latest prodigious talent.

Newly-minted manager Sebastian Beccacece, who replaced Felix Sanchez last month, inherits a balanced squad that could make some noise in the qualifiers.

Veterans Hernan Galindez and Enner Valencia will continue to provide experience since they have 108 caps between them, while Angelo Preciado joins Pervis Estupinan, Willian Pacho, and Piero Hincapie at the back.

Moises Caicedo, Carlos Gruezo, Jeremy Sarmiento, and Kendry Paez will likely start in midfield, while Kevin Rodriguez, with two goals in 17 caps, is a top candidate to join Enner Valencia up front for La Tricolor.

 

History

The overall head-to-head between Brazil and Ecuador is pretty one-sided. In their previous 35 meetings, Brazil have won 27 times, while Ecuador won only twice along with six draws.

The last time Ecuador beat Brazil was when they secured a 1-0 result against them during the 2006 World Cup qualifiers back in November 2004. Since then, La Tricolor have gone winless in 12 consecutive matches.

Brazil have always qualified for the World Cup, and they’re the winningest nation in tournament history with five titles (1958, 1962, 1970, 1994, and 2002). In stark contrast, Ecuador have only qualified four times, with their best finish being a run to the Round of 16 in 2006.

In the 2022 World Cup at Qatar, Brazil went as far as the quarter-finals, losing to Croatia via penalties, while Ecuador failed to make it out of Group A.

 

Betting Tip

The World Cup 2026 odds here at SBOTOP expect the Samba Boyz to return on the winning track this Friday. Brazil are 1.38 favourites, whereas Ecuador are 7.20 underdogs, and a draw is at 4.15 in the 1X2 market.

Based on their recent encounters, this fixture shouldn’t have too many World Cup 2026 highlights, making alternatives like Under 2.25 at 2.16, Under 2.50 at 1.85, Total Goal 2-3 at 1.93, or even Total Goal 0-1 at 2.86 viable.

Moreover, the Correct Score of 1-1 – the result of their last two meetings – is on offer at 8.00. But if you think that this will be a goalless draw, then Correct Score 0-0 at 9.60 doesn’t sound like a bad idea.

   

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