Ecuador and Venezuela start their respective Copa América Group B journeys taking confidence from the fact they currently reside above continental giants Brazil in the CONMEBOL World Cup qualification campaign standings after six matchdays. Ecuador would have been in an even better position but for a points deduction and as such, they should be optimistic of making a quick start in a tournament that they’ve never won. Looking to replicate their best result since finishing fourth in 1993, they reached the quarter-finals in the last edition despite incredibly remaining winless across nine Copa América games (D4, L5).
Coach Félix Sánchez will take comfort from their recent record that has produced six wins out of ten (D2, L2), with the two defeats coming against powerhouses Italy and Argentina in that stint. That should set La Tri up nicely for this competition, as they look to win their opening fixture of a Copa América campaign for the first time since 1993 (D3, L8).
Coincidentally, that win back in 1993 came against Venezuela, who have high hopes of making it out of the group stage this year. They’ve actually managed to get out of their group in four of their last six Copa América appearances, but repeating that feat will rely on them improving upon their recent results as the Wine-Reds have now failed to win their last five games (D3, L2).
To make matters worse, Venezuela have also failed to score in four of their last five Copa América matches (D2, L3), yet, with a Mexico side that are in the midst of a generational change and a Jamaican side that are struggling with internal squabbles, Venezuela will fancy their chances of getting out of Group B if they can rediscover their mojo.
Players to watch: Enner Valencia is Ecuador’s most decorated goal scorer and has five goals in this competition previously, although the last of those came during the 2019 edition. Salomón Rondón will likely lead the line for Venezuela, and their all-time scorer has seen his last three goals in this competition serve as his side’s only strikes of the match – twice in 1-0 wins.
Hot stat: Eight of Ecuador’s last 11 Copa América matches saw at least three total goals scored.
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