Colombia will be bidding to bounce back from a defeat when they continue their 2026 World Cup qualification campaign with a clash against Ecuador on Tuesday night.
Nestor Lorenzo's side will enter the contest off the back of a 3-2 loss to Uruguay, which saw them drop into third spot in the table, while Ecuador recorded a 4-0 victory over Bolivia last time out to make it four matches unbeaten.
Match preview
Colombia thought that they had snatched a late point against Uruguay on Friday, with Andres Gomez levelling the scores at 2-2 in the 96th minute of the contest, but Manchester United's Manuel Ugarte had other ideas, scoring a third for Uruguay in the 11th minute of added time at the end of the 90 to secure all three points for the hosts.
Lorenzo's team have now been beaten in two of their last three qualification matches, having also lost 1-0 to Bolivia last month, and they have dropped down to third spot in the table, with Uruguay moving above them.
Despite the recent disappointment, it has still been a solid campaign for La Sele, boasting a record of five wins, four draws and two defeats from 11 matches to collect 19 points, just three points behind the leaders Argentina.
Colombia will conclude their 2024 with a clash against Ecuador on Tuesday evening and will then not be back in action until next March against Brazil, who are currently down in fourth spot in the table.
La Tricolor have taken part in the finals of six World Cups, but they missed out on the 2022 edition of the tournament and will therefore be even more determined to secure a spot in the 2026 competition.
Ecuador, meanwhile, will enter this match off the back of a 4-0 win over Bolivia, with Gonzalo Plata netting a brace, while Enner Valencia and Alan Minda also registered for the hosts.
La Tri are unbeaten in their last four matches, beating Peru and Bolivia, in addition to drawing with Paraguay and Uruguay, since suffering a 1-0 defeat to Brazil at the start of September.
Sebastian Beccacece's side are currently fifth in the table, picking up 16 points from their 11 matches, which has left them just three points behind second-placed Uruguay with plenty of football still left to play.
Ecuador actually have the best defensive record in their qualification group, having conceded just four times in 11 matches, while no team in the section has lost fewer games (two).
La Tricolor competed at the finals of the 2022 World Cup, but they were unable to advance past the group stage, with their best-ever performance at the competition coming in 2006 - advancing to the round of 16 before losing to England.
Team News
Colombia have not reported any injury problems from their clash with Uruguay last time out, and head coach Lorenzo is expected to resist the temptation to shuffle his pack due to the incredible nature of the defeat.
Luis Diaz will be bidding to add to the 16 goals that he has scored for his country, and the Liverpool attacker is again set to be joined in the final third of the field by Aston Villa's Jhon Duran.
James Rodriguez is again likely to be used off the bench by Lorenzo, with Juan Fernando Quintero in line to feature as the number 10, while the impressive Richard Rios is a certainty in midfield.
As for Ecuador, Plata came up with a brace from midfield against Bolivia last time out, and the number 19 will again be in the XI, while Valencia will lead the line once more.
Still going strong at the age of 35, Valencia has 43 goals in 94 caps for his country, and he should be supported by John Yeboah and Minda in the wide positions on Tuesday night.
Piero Hincapie, Willian Pacho and Pervis Estupinan will also be notable starters for Ecuador here, while Chelsea's Moises Caicedo is back from a suspension and will line up in the middle of the Ecuadorian midfield.
Colombia possible starting lineup:
Vargas; Munoz, Sanchez, Lucumi, Mojica; Rios, Portilla, Arias; Quintero; Duran, Diaz
Ecuador possible starting lineup:
Galindez; Ordonez, Pacho, Hincapie, Estupinan; Yeboah, Plata, Caicedo, Vite, Minda; Valencia
We say: Colombia 1-1 Ecuador
Ecuador are a very good outfit with a brilliant defence, and we are expecting this to be a tough match for Colombia. It would not be a shock to see a victory either way, but we believe that the two sides will play out a low-scoring draw on Tuesday night.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
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