Tournament | FIFA World Cup 2022 |
Timetable | Tuesday 29th of November at 15:00 GMT |
Prediction | Ecuador to Win! |
Odds | Ecuador to Win @ 2.41 |
Bookmaker | TonyBet Sports |
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On November 29th, the final round of World Cup group matches kicks off at 6pm local time with the conclusion of Group A. Both games here will commence at the same time, to ensure that no side is able to gain a competitive advantage over their rivals.
The first such contest, which is also the 33rd match of the World Cup in total, will see South American side Ecuador take on Senegal at the Khalifa International Stadium
Both of these can still qualify for the round of 16 too, although the South Americans have an advantage having drawn with the Netherlands last time out to move onto four points and level with the Dutch. In fact, another draw here will be enough to qualify and potentially eliminate Senegal, but a victory for the South Africans will see them progress to the knockout phase. So, who will ultimately prevail? Stick around to get our top FIFA World Cup betting tips and analysis of the game.
💯 Ecuador vs Senegal Betting Odds
Next up, we’re going to take a closer look at the core football betting markets associated with this match, including straight match betting, both sides to score and over/under wagering relating to how many goals will be scored in the game.
We’ve also included the very latest Ecuador vs Senegal odds from our recommended sportsbooks, so you can hopefully get the best value for your hard-earned cash.
🏅 Ecuador vs Senegal Match Winner Odds
Ecuador | 2.41 | 2.40 | 2.30 | 2.40 | 2.30 | 2.37 | 2.37 |
Senegal | 3.19 | 3.20 | 3.40 | 2.05 | 3.10 | 3.00 | 3.20 |
Draw | 3.21 | 3.20 | 3.25 | 2.05 | 3.00 | 3.200 | 3.10 |
⚽ Ecuador vs Senegal: Both Teams to Score
Yes | 2.04 | 1.93 | 2.05 | 2.00 | 1.95 | 2.00 | 2.05 |
No | 1.79 | 1.79 | 1.76 | 1.72 | 1.77 | 1.72 | 1.70 |
🥅 Ecuador vs Senegal: Over/Under 2.5 Goals Odds
Over 2.5 Goals | 2.40 | 2.41 | 2.40 | 2.37 | 2.50 | 2.40 | 2.37 |
Under 2.5 Goals | 1.60 | 1.52 | 1.58 | 1.53 | 1.53 | 1.50 | 1.53 |
🏠 Ecuador World Cup Preview
Ecuador is one of the lowest-ranked sides competing at the World Cup, with the country placing 44th in FIFA’s most recent listings in October.
This also places them as just the seventh-best South American side, although it should be noted that they qualified ahead of several teams ahead of them in the rankings: namely Colombia, Peru and Chile.
Interestingly, Ecuador went winless in their last four CONMEBOL qualification matches, only securing their place in Qatar thanks to Enner Valencia’s stoppage time equaliser at home to Argentina.
However, they delivered a professional performance to beat hosts Qatar 2-0 in the opening match of the FIFA World Cup, before dominating a lacklustre Dutch team but failing to convert their chances in a 1-1 draw. The aforementioned Valencia has scored all three of Ecuador’s team at the World Cup, while he has also earned the distinction of scoring his country’s last six goals at the tournament finals (tying the WC record held jointly by Eusebio, Oleg Salenko and Paolo Rossi).
📰 Latest Ecuador World Cup News
Tweets by FEFecuador✈️ Senegal World Cup Preview
Senegal has the distinction of being the highest ranked CAF side at the World Cup, while they were also listed as the 18th best side in the world in the month before the start of the tournament.
Following the draw for Group A, the side were established as favourites to qualify alongside the Dutch, but the loss of talisman Sadio Mane to injury on the eve of the tournament (he was initially named in his country’s 26-man squad) seems have disrupted their rhythm in the tournament so far.
Certainly, they toiled and lacked any kind of cutting edge during their initial, 2-0 defeat to the Dutch, although a fairly routine victory over hosts Qatar last time out kept them in contention to reach the round of 16 for the first time since progressing to the quarterfinals on their debut in 2002.
Senegal certainly have the pedigree and experience to secure the win they need against Ecuador, but they’ll need to be at their best to overcome an incredibly durable opponent.
📰 Latest Senegal World Cup News
Tweets by FootballSenegal🟨 Netherlands vs Qatar: Latest Injury News and Suspensions
Ecuador’s main concerns are over captain and talisman Enner Valencia, who was forced off against the Netherlands with a knee injury after scoring his country’s equalising goal.
It’s touch and go whether he’ll start against Senegal, potentially denying him the chance to make history by becoming the first ever player to score seven consecutive goals for his country at the World Cup.
If he does miss out, the inexperienced Kevin Rodriguez could make his first tournament start, while Brighton’s lively forward Jeremy Sarmiento is also in contention for a place in the team. However, Valencia would be a huge miss, so Ecuador will be desperate for him to play some part in the game.
As for Senegal; they have no new injury concerns to report at all, with Sadio Mane the only glaring absentee from their first 11.
This means that durable Kalidou Koulibaly will start at centre back alongside his trusted partner Abdou Diallo, while Ismailia Sarr and Krepin Diatta will provide the width in the absence of Bayern Munich striker Mane.
We also expect striker Famara Diedhiou to lead the line once again for Senegal, as he goes in search of his second goal of the tournament after giving his side the lead against Qatar.
🔑 Key Matchups
This is a must-win game for Senegal if they’re to qualify for the round of 16 for just the second time in their World Cup history, while Ecuador also need a point to avoid being eliminated completely.
But what are the key individual duals that will help to define this game? Here’s a breakdown of our top three:
Moises Caicedo vs Idrissa Gueye
We’ll start in the engine room, where there’s likely to be an all-Premier League dual between Brighton’s combative Ecuadorian midfielder and Everton’s indefatigable Idrissa Gueye.
Both of these players are capable of getting forward and getting a goal, but Caicedo is arguably a little more attack-minded than his EPL counterpart, with Gueye slightly more focused on screening his defensive line and recovering the ball from opponents.
However, both lead the midfield press with distinction and have a keen eye for goal, with a similar strike rate in international football (Caicedo has scored two goals in 27 matches for his country, where as Gueye has struck seven in 98 appearances).
Ultimately, they’ll be in direct opposition on Tuesday, and whichever player is able to dominate in the middle of the park will afford their team a platform from which to play.
Gonzalo Plata vs Youssouf Sabaly
The talented winger Gonzalo Plata performed with distinction against the Netherlands last time out, with the 22-year-old posing a problem with his pace and dribbling as part of a fluid forward line.
Largely operating from the left flank, Plato will has already won 32 caps and scored five times for his country, while he’s likely to start in direct opposition to right back Youssouf Sabaly against Senegal.
While Plata is a handful whether he holds the width or looks to drive inside his full-back, the 29-year-old Sabaly is a more than competent defender with 26 caps to his name. He’s also comfortable on his left side and plays regularly at left back, so he’ll be confident of nullifying Plata’s threat whatever he does.
This will certainly be a keenly contested battle, and one that Plata will need to win if Ecuador are to maintain a sustainable attacking threat.
Enner Valencia vs Kalidou Koulibaly
While Enner Valencia remains a genuine injury doubt, he’s likely to start the game if he’s anywhere near fit. After all, he remains Ecuador’s captain and talisman, while he’s also the only player to score for Ecuador either during this World Cup or the South American sides’ last outing in Brazil 2014.
In fact, no Ecuadorian player apart from Valencia has scored at the WC finals since June 15th, 2006, when Iván Kaviedes scored a stoppage time goal during a 3-0 win over Costa Rica.
Ecuador also need a positive result here, and they’ll require every ounce of firepower if they’re to achieve this against a high-quality and motivated Senegal side.
If the wily and relatively prolific striker (Valencia has scored 32 goals in 71 caps for Ecuador) does start, he’ll come up against the similarly formidable Kalidou Koulibaly. The Chelsea centre back is a 66-cap veteran with immense physical strength and presence, and he’ll look to dominate Valencia while preventing him from receiving the ball into feet and turning.
Overall, Valencia’s clever and predatory movement could be key to outfoxing the powerful Kalidou Koulibaly, but much will depend on his level of fitness if he does feature in the starting 11.
⚡ Ecuador vs Senegal – The Head-to-Head Statistics
These sides have never met at the FIFA World Cup, which isn’t a huge surprise given that Ecuador and Senegal have only appeared in four and three tournament finals (out of 22) in their respective histories.
However, they did contest an international friendly match way back in May 2002, when both sides were preparing for the upcoming World Cup in Japan and South Korea.
Interestingly, Senegal nicked a 1-0 win in Tokyo, thanks to an on goal by Ecuador left back Raul Guerron in the 69th minute. Senegal also went onto enjoy a better World Cup too, beating defending champions France on debut before being knockout by Turkey in the quarterfinals. In contrast, Ecuador were eliminated at the group stage and won just one of their three matches.
Not one of the players who competed on that day will be involved on Tuesday, but Senegal will hoping to tap into the spirit of that side by reaching the round of 16 once again!
🥇 Ecuador vs Senegal Prediction - Who Will Win?
This match has become a straight shootout for the round of 16, with a win for either team guaranteed to deliver first or second place in Group A.
Of course, there’s even a scenario where both teams could still qualify for the knockout phase, but this would require them to draw while the Netherlands lose by at least two goals to the already eliminated and unfancied Qatar side.
But which side is more likely to win here? Well, Senegal are ranked some 36 places higher than Ecuador, but the South African side have performed inconsistently so far and appear to lack the organisation and discipline of their well-drilled opponents.
The absence of Mane is also a potentially decisive blow, and we’re backing Ecuador to win here by the odd goals (especially if captain Enner Valencia starts).
Our Ecuador vs Senegal match prediction: Ecuador to win 2-1
🔍 Our Ecuador vs Senegal Betting Tips?
While Senegal are the slight favourites among our bookmakers, there’s not a great deal of value to be found in backing the top-ranked African side in a straight match bet.
Although handicap betting is similarly unwise given the relatively evenly matched nature of both sides, you could potentially profit by betting on there being under 2.5 goals scored in the game at a price of 1.63 with Betway.
We’d avoid backing both sides to score, however, with Ecuador not renowned for their firepower or ability to create a swathe of chances in front of goal.
🎁 Ecuador vs Senegal World Cup Free Bets
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✒️ Lewis Humphries - Sports Journalist, Tipster and Betting Expert
This Ecuador vs Senegal 2022WC Prediction was written by Lewis Humphries. Lewis is a business and iGaming copywriter from the UK, who has a passion for sports betting and online casino gaming. He's reviewed some of the world's leading casino platforms, while creating blog posts and landing page content for various sports betting brands.
His content has also featured on a number of different sites, including Life Hack, Investopedia, Yahoo Finance and Business Insider. He also pens regular sports features for sites including 90 Minutes, Think Football Ideas and Sportsblog.