Marcelo Bielsa‘S Uruguay will try to put off-field drama and a disappointing defeat last week aside when they host Ecuador in Montevideo on Tuesday.

With a surprise defeat in Peru on Friday, many nations in CONMEBOL have reduced the gap to Uruguay World Cup Qualification, while Ecuador continued their good season with another positive result on matchday nine.

Game preview

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After one fantastic start to qualifying At the end of 2023, when Uruguay beat both Brazil and Argentina, it looked like they were headed to a fifth consecutive World Cup.

However, their form since their Copa America semi-final exit in the summer has been somewhat worrying, with several key players missing due to suspension following the scuffle following the defeat to Colombia.

A major slip-up on Friday saw Bielsa’s men lose in Peru, giving the Blanquirroja their first win in this group as La Celeste’s defense was breached for the first time in almost ten hours of qualifying.

Two 0-0 draws in September’s games mean Uruguay have still not scored a goal since exiting the Copa, and while they are still in a comfortable position in third place, they are now just one ahead from four points to the play-off place.

The off-field drama that broke out when Luis Suarez Accusations that Bielsa created a toxic atmosphere in the Uruguay camp may not have helped as they suffered a sixth straight game without a win in Lima in 90 minutes.

Although Uruguay have never lost an international to Ecuador at home and have only dropped points three times in qualifying, the visitors have proven to be unpleasant customers of late.

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Sebastian BeccaceceLast week, Paraguay’s men kept another clean sheet in a 0-0 draw with Paraguay – their fifth in six qualifying games – and continue to steadily pick up points.

As one of the biggest high-flyers to date, Ecuador have not let a three-point deduction dictate their approach, as without it they would be above Brazil and level on points with their upcoming opponents.

Only Argentina and Brazil have beaten La Tri so far this season, but in a hellishly tight stretch, the point deduction means Ecuador are still threatened by their pursuers.

Venezuela and Paraguay remained in touch on matchday nine and Bolivia’s victory helped them reduce the gap, with just three points separating fourth and eighth place at halftime in CONMEBOL.

However, having reached four of the last six World Cups, including the last edition in Qatar, Ecuador are well positioned to navigate South American qualifying and with two additional places now available, they should still be among the most highly-fancied teams belong to those who make it to the 2026 final.

Uruguay World Cup Qualification – South America Form:

Uruguay form (all competitions):

Ecuador World Cup Qualification – South America Form:

Ecuador form (all competitions):

Team news

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Uruguay can fall back on this Darwin Nunez here despite the ban imposed on him following the chaos against Colombia, as the Court of Arbitration for Sport has temporarily suspended him while an appeal is considered.

Rodrigo Bentancur has one more game to serve because of his suspension, but Jose Maria Gimenez, Matias Olivera And Ronald Araujo are all available again after three game suspensions.

However, Araujo is currently out due to injury and is therefore not in the squad along with his fellow defenders Sebastian Caceres And Lucas Olaza He is also currently out as Bielsa had to rely on him Manuel Ugarte And Guillermo Varela as a makeshift central defender against Peru.

Enner Valencia should join Moises Caicedo As the only Ecuadorian with at least 50 appearances in the current squad, the Chelsea man is close to reaching that milestone despite being just 22 years old.

Despite cutting 10 players from the previous squad in September, Beccacece still has a largely full squad with players such as: Piero Hincapie, Willian Pacho And Pervis Estupinan everything available.

The Ecuador boss would have preferred it Carlos Gruezo And Jhegson Mendez However, they are also in the squad, although the duo is currently out due to injury.

Possible Uruguay starting lineup:
Rochet; Varela, Gimenez, Bueno, Olivera; Ugarte, Valverde, De Arrascaeta; Pellistri, Nunez, M Araujo

Possible starting lineup for Ecuador:
Galindez; Torres, Pacho, Hincapie; Preciado, Franco, Caicedo, Estupinan; Plata, Valencia, Paez

We say: Uruguay – Ecuador 0-0

Uruguay are the qualifying top scorers with a total of 13 goals but have failed to score in their last three games and they could struggle again against a faltering Ecuador defense.

Ecuador are leading clean sheets through this qualifying campaign, as last week’s 0-0 draw was the sixth consecutive qualifying game in which they scored one goal or less, and Uruguay’s recent attacking woes suggest this could be heading in the same direction.

For data analysis of the most likely outcomes, scores and more for this game, please click here.

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