Quito, Sep 27 (IANS) Ecuadorian national team coach Reinaldo Rueda of Colombia says the team will use its home field advantage to defeat Uruguay in an upcoming match here.
The game is part of the South American Qualifying Tournament for the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil, reports Xinhua.
Uruguay’s recent participation in the FIFA Confederations Cup tournament in Brazil “helped it pull together (and) make some progress and yet we still have a slight advantage that we have to hold on to — we have to make the most of our home field advantage,” Rueda said Thursday.
Ecuador will play Uruguay at Atahualpa Olympic Stadium here Oct 11. It will be a decisive match as both teams look to advance to the World Cup. Both Ecuador and Uruguay are in fourth place in the regional rankings, with 22 points each.
The tournament leader is Argentina which has already won its pass to Brazil with 29 points, followed by Colombia with 26 and Chile with 24. Only four regional teams get direct tickets to the competition.
Rueda, who has been coaching Ecuador since 2010, admitted Uruguay will be tough to beat.
“Uruguay is a team with great tradition, a team that has left its mark (and) players with great careers,” said Rueda. He added he was confident about Brazilian referee Leandro Pedro Vuaden, who will be overseeing the game, noting the Brazil has no strategic interest in the outcome of the match.
Ecuador’s coach said he has been in touch with players who play abroad to coordinate their participation in the qualifying match including midfielder Jefferson Montero, who plays for Mexico’s Monarcas de Morelia and is recovering from a muscle injury suffered in August during Mexico’s 2013 Opening Tournament.
Meanwhile, forward Narciso Mina, who plays for Mexico’s America, said Ecuador will try to control the ball to tire out the Uruguayan players.
“Ecuador has to remain calm, try to score as quickly as possible and control the ball. It is a very complicated match but Ecuador wants to qualify and has all the will, the tools and the players,” Mina said.
