Ecuador vs Guatemala Predictions

Wednesday’s international friendly action features a clash between Ecuador and Guatemala. The South Americans are expected to secure victory with very few issues.

After missing out on the 2018 World Cup with a weak 8th placed qualification finish, Ecuadorian football has hit something of a rough patch and for that exact reason, Hernan Dario Gomez has returned for a second stint in the dugout to try and improve matters.

Against all odds, Gomez managed to steer Panama towards their first ever World Cup qualification and Ecuadorian supporters will be hoping he can inspire success with their side. In a bid to take a good look at all players available to him, the new boss has left all of his European based players to rest at home but the likes of Antonio Valencia and Felipe Caicedo certainly weren’t missed on Saturday, as Ecuador cruised to a 2-0 win over Jamaica in what was their first outing in close to a year.

Meanwhile, Guatemala offered very few surprises in their own weekend action, going down 3-0 at the hands of Argentina. La Furia Azul struggled to match the quality of their opponents throughout the match and rarely left their own half and whilst Ecuador don’t quite possess the same quality as the Argentines, they are still considered by just about everyone to be levels above Guatemala .

Guatemala’s defeat has really put a damper on their return to international football. Banned for over a year due to corruption issues, the side had beaten Cuba twice in the lead-up to the clash with Argentina but were brought crashing back down to earth in the defeat.

Ultimately, the quality gap between Guatemala and Argentina was vast and Argentina could have won by a far bigger margin with a bit more intensity in their play. With several of this Ecuadorian side looking to impress the new boss, we don’t see Guatemala’s South American opponents holding back this time around and thus, you do have to fear for them.

Ecuador have won their last 4 matches against nations from the CONCACAF region and with Guatemala having lost their last 7 games against South American opposition, the result really isn’t in doubt. All things considered, we like the look of backing Ecuador on the win to nil line and that’s exactly where our money is going, alongside a play on their victory being by a 3-0 margin.

Ecuador looked assured defensively against Jamaica and up against an opponent expected to show little attacking intention, they shouldn’t have too much to worry about as regards keeping the ball out. Whilst going forward they should have far too much quality for the Central Americans.