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Ecuador invite Paraguay to La Casa Blanca for their FIFA World Cup 2022 qualifying fixture on Thursday.
The hosts are third in the standings with nine points while Paraguay are in sixth place with seven points. Ecuador suffered a 2-1 home loss to Peru in their last qualifying fixture while Paraguay were also defeated at home, losing their game 2-0 to Brazil.
Both teams were eliminated in the quarter-finals of the Copa America 2021 and will be looking to resume their World Cup qualification campaign with a win.
Ecuador vs Paraguay Head-to-Head
The two teams have squared off 33 times across all competitions. Paraguay have enjoyed the upper hand in these fixtures and with 18 wins have been victorious in more than half of their meetings with La Tri.
Ecuador have nine wins to their name while the spoils have been shared just six times between the two sides. All of their meetings have come in competitive fixtures, namely Copa America and World Cup qualifiers.
They last went head-to-head in a 2018 World Cup qualifier at Estadio Defensores del Chaco, with the game ending in a 2-1 win for La Albirroja.
Ecuador form guide (Copa America): L-D-D-D-L
Paraguay form guide (Copa America): L-L-W-L-W
Ecuador vs Paraguay Team News
Ecuador
Gustavo Alfaro has announced a 29-man squad for the upcoming qualifying fixtures. There are no known injury concerns for the hosts.
Injured: None
Doubtful: None
Suspended: None
Paraguay
With 33 players, Paraguay have announced one of the biggest squads for World Cup qualifying fixtures. There are no known injury concerns for the visiting side.
Injured: None
Doubtful: None
Suspended: None
Ecuador vs Paraguay Predicted XI
Ecuador Predicted XI (4-4-2): Hernan Galindez; Piero Hincapie, Diego Palacios, Xavier Arreaga, Pervis Estupinan; Alan Franco, Jhegson Mendez, Moises Caicedo, Moisés Caicedo; Enner Valencia, Angel Mena
Paraguay Predicted XI (4-4-2): Antony Silva; Alberto Espinola, Júnior Alonso, Fabian Balbuena, David Martinez; Braian Samudio, Mathias Villasanti, Angel Cardozo Lucena, Santiago Arzamendia; Miguel Almiron, Angel Romero
Ecuador vs Paraguay Prediction
Both Ecuador and Paraguay have had some decent outings over the last year, including Ecuador's famous 6-1 win over Colombia in November.
It will be the first game for both teams since June and the players might be a bit rusty following grueling campaigns with their clubs. All things considered, a low-scoring draw may be the most likely outcome from the game.
Prediction: Ecuador 1-1 Paraguay.
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