Ecuador will face New Zealand at the Sports Illustrated Stadium on Tuesday in a friendly clash between the two nations. La Tri are set to make their sixth FIFA World Cup appearance in the United States next year and will continue their preparations for the tournament this week.
They played out 1-1 draws with the USA and Mexico during the last international break and continued in the same vein last time out with a goalless draw against 10-man Canada. Ecuador will be disappointed not to have secured the win on Thursday, especially after the Canucks were reduced to 10 men just six minutes into the match.
New Zealand have also booked a spot in next year’s World Cup but have failed to impress in their pre-tournament friendlies so far and have work to do ahead of their first appearance at the global showpiece since 2010.
They were beaten 2-1 by Colombia last time out, heading into the break a goal down and then drawing level in the 80th minute via a Benjamin Old strike before their opponents reclaimed the lead minutes later.
Ecuador vs New Zealand Head-to-Head and Key Numbers
- Tuesday’s game will mark the first-ever meeting between the two nations.
- New Zealand have had 18 meetings against CONMEBOL nations. They are winless in all 18 games, registering four draws and 14 defeats.
- Ecuador’s last meeting against an OFC side came back in March 2023 when they faced Australia in a friendly clash at the Marvel Stadium, which they won 2-1.
- Ecuador are ranked 23rd in the latest FIFA World Rankings while New Zealand are ranked 85th.
- The visitors are without a clean sheet in their last six games.
Ecuador vs New Zealand Prediction
La Tri are undefeated in their last eight games across all competitions, although seven of those outings have ended in draws. However, they remain the stronger side ahead of Tuesday’s game and will only need to avoid complacency to come out on top.
The All Whites, meanwhile, are on a six-game winless streak, losing five times in that period. They have failed to impress against South American sides historically and could see defeat here.
Prediction: Ecuador 1-0 New Zealand
Ecuador vs New Zealand Betting Tips
Tip 1 – Result: Ecuador to win
Tip 2 – Goals – Over/under 2.5 – Under 2.5 goals (Nine of La Tri’s last 10 matches have produced fewer than 2.5 goals)
Tip 3 – Both teams to score: No (Both sides have found the back of the net in just two of the hosts’ last eight matches)
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Edited by Peter P
