Ecuador will aim to get back to winning ways and take a significant step towards sealing qualification for the upcoming global tournament when they make the trip to Peru for the 16th round of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers in CONMEBOL.

The Tricolours head into this clash on the back of a goalless draw against Brazil, while the hosts also played out a stalemate of the same scoreline away to Colombia in their most recent outing.

Match preview

Currently unbeaten in their last eight matches, Ecuador now find themselves in a familiar rut, having failed to find the back of the net in successive games for the second time during this ongoing run.

The desire to avenge their previous defeat to Brazil failed to materialise for the Tricolours, who last lost to the Selecao in a 1-0 setback back in September 2024, although Sebastian Beccacece can take encouragement from how his side have fought through adversity to stand within touching distance of a World Cup spot.

Having been docked three points at the start of the qualification campaign for fielding an ineligible player during the 2022 qualifiers, Ecuador began on the back foot, but they have since clawed their way up the table with seven wins, six draws and two defeats.

That tally has lifted the Tri to second place in the CONMEBOL standings, six points clear of seventh-placed Venezuela, with three rounds of fixtures still left to navigate.

Already assured of at least a place in the intercontinental playoffs, a win on Monday could secure automatic qualification for Ecuador, although history has not been kind to them on recent visits to Peru.

La Tri are without victory in their last three competitive away trips to in this fixture in the World Cup qualifiers, losing twice and drawing once, and they will be eager to rewrite that narrative under the Lima lights.

While Peru have often had the upper hand in home encounters against Ecuador, their fortunes on the road tell a different tale, with the 1-0 defeat in the reverse fixture standing as a stark reminder of those struggles.

That result in Quito extended La Bicolor’s winless run to five matches at the time, and although they ended that drought with a surprise victory over Uruguay, another barren spell quickly followed.

Indeed, it took another four matches for the White and Red to register a second win, with the 3-1 triumph over Bolivia serving merely as a brief interlude before their current drought resumed. 

Oscar Ibanez's men have also struggled in front of goal, having failed to score in their last two matches, including a 1-0 loss to Venezuela, before eking out a hard-earned goalless draw in Colombia.

That dogged performance was not enough to lift Peru from ninth in the standings on 11 points, and anything less than victory on Monday will all but extinguish their faint hopes of snatching a playoff berth.

Despite their overall struggles, Peru have made their turf count, going unbeaten in their last five World Cup qualifiers in front of their fans, winning twice, with their only home defeats coming in their opening fixtures against Argentina and Brazil.

Peru World Cup Qualifying - South America form:

Ecuador World Cup Qualifying - South America form:

Team News

Despite an inconsistent campaign, Ibanez has largely retained faith in his core group, with Edison Flores replacing the injured Andre Carillo last time out as the only change from the squad used in the March window.

The back four of Luis Advincula, Carlos Zambrano, Renzo Garces and Marcos Lopez are expected to continue in front of trusted goalkeeper Pedro Gallese, while veteran striker Paolo Guerrero should once again spearhead the attack.

On the Ecuadorian bench, Beccacece was forced to shuffle his pack in March, with the absence of his most reliable forward prompting a change in approach.

The squad remains without all-time top scorer Enner Valencia, who picked up a grade three muscle tear playing for Internacional and is set to remain on the sidelines for several more weeks. 

In his absence, Beccacece switched to a 4-4-2 formation, with Venezia forward John Yeboah featuring in a two-man strike force, a setup that may be retained for this encounter.

Moises Caicedo of Chelsea is expected to anchor the midfield once again, while recent Champions League winner Willian Pacho should continue to marshal the defence.         

Peru possible starting lineup:

Gallesse; Advincula, Zambrano, Garces, Lopez; Aquino, Tapia, Flores; Polo, Guerrero, Reyna

Ecuador possible starting lineup:

Valle; Ordonez, Pacho, Hincapie, Estupinan; Angulo, Vite, Caicedo, Minda; Yeboah, Franco

We say: Peru 0-0 Ecuador

Ecuador have avoided defeat in each of their last three away outings and have kept clean sheets in two of them, but with a couple of those games ending without a breakthrough, there remain concerns about their ability to snatch all three points on Peruvian soil.

The hosts have recorded two shutouts in their last four matches at home, which further complicates matters for a visiting side lacking their attacking talisman.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.

Written by
Adeyeye Oluwapelumi

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