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Preview: Ecuador vs. Guatemala – Prediction, Team News, Lineups
Ecuador will host Guatemala in a friendly on Thursday at Red Bull Arena in New Jersey in preparation for the Copa America later this year. It will be the first match of 2024 for La Tri, who defeated Chile 2-1 in a World Cup qualifier last November, while the Guatemalans lost their only match played this year, 1-0 versus Iceland.
Months ahead of the Copa America, Ecuador are in solid form, going unbeaten in their final five World Cup qualifying fixtures of 2023. That has them well positioned to make consecutive World Cup appearances for the first time since 2002 and 2006, currently sitting fifth in the table, with the top six teams earning an automatic berth in the 2026 finals.
The tenure of Felix Sanchez Bas as manager began poorly, with the former Qatar boss losing a friendly versus Australia 3-1, but things have gone a lot smoother since then, with La Tricolor suffering just one defeat in their last nine competitive fixtures (1-0 defeat to Argentina). Ecuador did not concede a single goal in their final three fixtures played last year, all of which were CONMEBOL World Cup 2026 qualifying affairs.
Under Sanchez, the Ecuadorians have never lost when leading at the half and have never been behind for a single minute since their 2-1 come-from-behind victory over Uruguay last September. They are unbeaten in their last seven encounters versus CONCACAF opponents since a 3-2 defeat versus Mexico in 2019, conceding a goal or fewer in every encounter against that region since then.
La Bicolor will try to regain some confidence this week ahead of their second-round World Cup qualifying campaign, which begins in June. After an impressive opening to their 2023 CONCACAF Nations League campaign, claiming four points from their first two fixtures, the Guatemalans have gone into a downward spiral. Luis Fernando Tena’s men have lost three of their last four competitive fixtures and were knocked out of the Nations League, while failing to score in three successive matches in all competitions.
Los Mayas are expected to finish in the top two of their World Cup qualification group, which also includes Dominica, the Dominican Republic, and Jamaica. It has been over 15 years since Guatemala last defeated a side from the CONMEBOL region, beating Bolivia 3-0 in an August 2008 friendly.
