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Colombia and Ecuador go head to head at the Arena Pantanal in their opening match of the Copa America 2021.
The two teams are in the Zona Norte group along with Brazil, Peru and Venezuela, and will be looking to get off to a strong start.
Colombia will be in a buoyant mood following their comeback in the 2-2 draw against Argentina. Los Cafeteros were overwhelming underdogs going into the game but managed to snatch a draw in the dying moments, having been 2-0 down early in the first half.
Reinaldo Rueda will hope his side can continue putting in those kinds of performances throughout the tournament, starting with Ecuador on Monday.
Ecuador, on the other hand, will be hoping to turn around their fortunes after two losses on the trot to Brazil and Peru. La Tri were on a four-game winning streak prior to the two losses. Gustavo Alfaro will hope his side can find that form again when they take on Colombia on Monday.
With both teams eager to start off their Copa America 2021 campaign with a win, Monday's fixture is sure to be an exciting one.
Colombia vs Ecuador Head-to-Head
Colombia dominate the recent head-to-head record between the two sides, having won four of their last five meetings, with Ecuador only winning one.
La Tri did, however, thump Los Cafeteros 6-1 the last time the two sides met in November last year.
Colombia Form Guide: D-L-L-W-D
Ecuador Form Guide: W-W-W-L-L
Colombia vs Ecuador Team News
Colombia
Colombia will be without two marquee names for the tournament as both James Rodriguez and Radamel Falcao did not make the final squad due to injury.
Serie A stars Juan Cuadrado, Duvan Zapata and Luis Muriel will, however, prove to be a fearsome prospect for defenders during the tournament. Meanwhile, Premier League duo Yerry Mina and Davinson Sanchez will form a strong pairing in the heart of Colombia's backline.
Injured: James Rodriguez, Radamel Falcao
Doubtful: None
Suspended: None
Ecuador
Ecuador have a wealth of attacking talent to call upon, with Enner Valencia, Fidel Martinez and Leonardo Campana all being goalscoring threats.
Ayrton Preciado, Angel Mena and Christian Noboa will bring flair and technical ability from midfield.
Injured: None
Doubtful: None
Suspended: None
Colombia vs Ecuador Predicted XI
Colombia Predicted XI (4-3-3): David Ospina; William Tesillo, Davinson Sanchez, Yerry Mina, John Medina; Jefferson Lerma, Gustavo Cuellar, Mateus Uribe; Luis Diaz, Juan Cuadrado, Duvan Zapata
Ecuador Predicted XI (4-4-1-1): Alexander Dominguez; Pervis Estupinan, Xavier Arreaga, Robert Arboleda, Angelo Preciado; Ayrton Preciado, Moises Caicedo, Christian Noboa, Angel Mena; Fidel Martinez; Enner Valencia
Colombia vs Ecuador Prediction
Both sides have strong attacks but Colombia is better in terms of quality across the pitch.
We predict a tight game with Reinaldo Rueda's side beating Ecuador to come away with all three points
Prediction: Colombia 2-1 Ecuador
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