Preview: Colombia vs. Ecuador – prediction, team news, lineups

Colombia will bid to bounce back from defeat as they continue their 2026 World Cup qualification campaign with a clash against Ecuador Tuesday evening.

Nestor Lorenzos side will enter the competition on the back of a 3-2 loss to Uruguay which saw them drop to third in the table, while Ecuador recorded a 4-0 win over Bolivia last time out, making it four games unbeaten .

Match preview

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Colombia thought they had grabbed a late point against Uruguay on Friday, with Andres Gomez equalized at 2-2 in the 96th minute of the match, but Manchester United’s Manuel Ugarte had other ideas and scored a third for Uruguay in the 11th minute of added time at the end of the 90 to secure all three points for the hosts.

Lorenzo’s side have now been beaten in two of their last three qualifiers, having lost 1-0 to Bolivia last month, and have dropped to third in the table, with Uruguay moving above them.

Despite the latest disappointment, it has still been a solid campaign for La Sele, who boast a record of five wins, four draws and two defeats from 11 games to collect 19 points, just three behind leaders Argentina.

Colombia wrap up their 2024 with a clash against Ecuador on Tuesday night and will not be back in action until March against Brazil, who are currently down to fourth in the table.

La Tricolor has participated in the finals of six World Cups, but they missed out on the 2022 edition of the tournament and will therefore be even more determined to secure a place in the 2026 competition.

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Ecuador, meanwhile, go into this match on the back of a 4-0 win over Bolivia with Gonzalo Plata netting a hoop, while Enner Valencia and Alan Minda also signed up for the hosts.

La Tri are unbeaten in their last four matches, beating Peru and Bolivia, as well as drawing against Paraguay and Uruguay, since suffering a 1-0 defeat to Brazil at the start of September.

Sebastian Beccace‘s side are currently fifth in the table, picking up 16 points from their 11 matches, which has left them just three points behind second-placed Uruguay with plenty of football left to play.

Ecuador actually have the best defensive record in their qualifying group, having conceded just four times in 11 games, while no team in the section has lost fewer games (two).

La Tricolor competed at the finals of the 2022 World Cup, but they were unable to progress past the group stage, with their best ever performance at the competition in 2006 – advancing to the round of 16 before losing to England.

Colombia World Cup Qualifier – South America Form:

Colombia form (all competitions):

Ecuador World Cup Qualification – South America form:

Ecuador form (all competitions):

Team news

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Colombia have not reported any injury problems from their clash with Uruguay last time out and head coach Lorenzo is expected to resist the temptation to shuffle his pack due to the incredible nature of the defeat.

Luis Diaz will bid to add to the 16 goals he has scored for his country and the Liverpool forward is once again set to be joined in the final third of the pitch by Aston Villas John Duran.

James Rodriguez is again probably used from the bench by Lorenzo, med Juan Fernando Quintero in line with standing at number 10, while the impressive Richard Rios is a security in midfield.

As for Ecuador, Plata came off a brace from midfield against Bolivia last time out and the number 19 will again be in the XI, while Valencia will once again lead the line.

Still going strong at the age of 35, Valencia has 43 goals in 94 caps for his country and should be supported by John Yeboah and Minda in the width positions on Tuesday evening.

Piero Hincapie, Willian Pacho and Pervis Estupinan will also be notable starters for Ecuador here, while Chelsea’s Moises Caicedo is back from a suspension and will line up in the center of the Ecuadorian midfield.

Colombia possible starting line-up:
Vargas; Munoz, Sanchez, Lucumi, Mojica; Rios, Portilla, Arias; Quintero; Duran, Diaz

Ecuador’s possible starting line-up:
Galindez; Ordonez, Pacho, Hincapie, Estupinan; Yeboah, Plata, Caicedo, Vite, Minda; Valencia

We say: Colombia 1-1 Ecuador

Ecuador are a very good outfit with a brilliant defense and we expect it to be a tough game for Colombia. It wouldn’t be a shock to see a win either way, but we believe the two teams will play out a low-scoring tie on Tuesday night.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match, please click here.

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