MLB Best Bets – Free (Wednesday 7/24)
Josh Gross
Ecuador World Cup Team Preview
Ecuador
FIFA Ranking: 44
Manager: Gustavo Alfaro
Federation: CONMEBOL
Group: Qatar, Netherlands, Senegal, Ecuador
Odds to win World Cup: +25000, BetRivers
Odds to win Group A: +600, BetMGM
Odds to advance in Group A: +110, Caesars
How did Ecuador qualify for the World Cup?
Ecuador finished in fourth to earn an automatic qualifying spot in what is arguably the most difficult federation to come out of in CONMEBOL. Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay are the three nations that finished above Ecuador.
Who is Ecuador’s most important player?
Gonzalo Plata
The 22-year-old forward currently plays for Real Valladolid in La Liga and is considered one of the better prospects in the league. Plata is not a household name, but if Ecuador go on a run, he will become one as he is one of the most exciting young players in the tournament. Plata has star potential, with blistering pace, great touch and technically gifted. He is exactly the type of player to “break out” in a major tournament as one of the leaders of this young Ecuadorian golden generation.
What are Ecuador’s strengths, weaknesses, style of play and form?
Ecuador play a 4-3-3 and rely on their pace down the side. Youth and pace are the themes of Ecuador’s playstyle, which allows them to play a very high defensive line as they have the pace to recover.
Ecuador’s greatest strength can also be classified as one of their biggest weaknesses, their youth. Ecuador is in a golden generation of talent, having won the South American U20 title in 2019 and finished in third place in the U20 World Cup. This is the first major tournament that this young core will play together in. A byproduct of their youth is their pace, which is a major strength.
Surprisingly, Ecuador’s defense has been consistently better than their offense. Against the best and most experienced defenders in the world, does this team have enough goal scoring power to win?
What is Ecuador’s World Cup Outlook?
Group A has two dark-horses in Ecuador and Senegal with Ecuador being the younger and less experienced team of the two. Ecuador has a huge range of outcomes because of their youth, and we should learn a ton about them in their opening match against Qatar. How does this young team react playing across the world against a host nation to open the entire tournament? Of the three other teams in Group A, Ecuador is the most likely to drop points to Qatar and if Qatar wins, there is a good shot we see Ecuador at the bottom of Group A. This team is talented though, and are certainly capable of advancing through Group A. I don’t think there is enough offensive talent to beat the Dutch, but if they grab points against Qatar, Ecuador vs Senegal will be one of the most exciting group stage games of the tournament.
Best Ecuador World Cup Bet
None. Until we get a better update on Sadio Mane’s injury, I don’t think we are getting enough value to pull the trigger on Ecuador to Advance out of Group A, +110, Caesars. If Mane is to miss any time or the entire tournament, this would be a good value.
Ecuador World Cup Roster
Goalkeepers: Alexander Dominguez, Hernan Galindez, Moises Ramirez
Defenders: Pervis Estupinan, Angelo Preciado (Gent), Piero Hincapie, Xavier Arreaga, Diego Palacios, Jackson Porozo, Robert Arboleda, Felix Torres, William Pacho
Midfielders: Moises Caicedo, Jose Cifuentes, Alan Franco, Jhegson Mendez, Carlos Gruezo, Gonzalo Plata, Angel Mena, Ayrton Preciado, Romario Ibarra, Jeremy Sarmiento
Forwards: Enner Valencia, Michael Estrada, Djorkaeff Reasco, Kevin Rodriguez
Group A | Ecuador Senegal Netherlands Qatar
Group B | Iran Wales USA England
Group C | Mexico Saudi Arabia Poland Argentina
Group D | Tunisia Denmark Australia France
Group E | Japan Germany Costa Rica Spain
Group F | Croatia Morocco Canada Belgium
