Expected to be an intriguing Copa America match, Ecuador and Venezuela square off at Levi's Stadium. After defeating Bolivia and Honduras back-to-back, La Tri must prove their mettle on the pitch. Leading the way for the notional hosts is likely to be seasoned attacker Enner Valencia, while fellow forward Kevin Rodriguez joined the squad after recovering from an injury. Another outstanding player on Felix Sanchez's squad is left-back Piero Hincapie of Bayer Leverkusen.
We are betting for Ecuador mainly because La Vinotinto had a poor showing in a goalless draw with Guatemala. After scoring as a substitute in the last warm-up game, Venezuelan football icon Salomon Rondon should be brought back into the starting lineup. Two sides drew 2-2 in their most recent encounter at Copa America (2021).
Head To Head And Previous Matches
While Ecuador has never won a Copa America, they are considered one of the competition's most dangerous teams. They want to make the quarterfinals better than they did last time.
Winning their past two games, the Ecuadorians have looked sharp in the run-up to the Copa America. But defensively, Felix Sanchez's team has been a little shaky; they have not kept a clean sheet in their previous four games in all competitions.
With the best result of a quarterfinal, Venezuela has never even come close to winning a Copa America. 2021 saw them leave the group stage without winning a single game.
The build-up to this year's tournament will not give Venezuelans much confidence since they have had trouble finding their groove. The team under Fernando Batista is coming into the first game on Saturday, having not won in five games.
After 21 previous games versus Venezuela, Ecuador leads 10–6. But the last time they played, in a CONMEBOL World Cup qualifying match back in November, the result was 0-0.
Our Predictions
Ecuador to win @1.80 on Sky247.ng
We think Venezuela can surpass this Ecuadorian defence, but it may not be enough to save a loss.
This game is one we predict will be tight, and Ecuador to win 2-1 in the end. It needs to be one of respectable quality.
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