Bolivia host Ecuador on matchday 3 of CONMEBOL World Cup qualifying in desperate need of points. Cesar Farias’ Bolivia are bottom of the table on zero points from six possible.
Their points total is misleading as Bolivia played South America’s two best teams – Brazil and Argentina – on matchdays 1 and 2 respectively. Now, they have a chance to get points as Ecuador arrive in La Paz.
The Ecuadorians have taken three points from six possible. Gustavo Alfaro’s team lost to Argentina to kick off qualifying, 1-0. They followed it up with a 4-2 win over Uruguay. It was a shock result as Uruguay are considered one of CONMEBOL’s best sides.
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🇧🇴⚽️ROJAS: "CON TRABAJO Y SACRIFICIO UNO PUEDE LOGRAR LO QUE SE PROPONE"🏆💪⚠️Entérate, aquí🔽@YPFB_corp @TigoSportsBo @CocaColaBo @Marcas_LaRazon #Marathon #Penalty #BancoMercantilSantaCruz pic.twitter.com/Bjengs6w9f
Which Ecuador will show up on Thursday night to play Bolivia? These teams have met 32 times in their histories dating back to 1938. Ecuador have the edge over Bolivia in head-to-head meetings. Ecuador have posted a 15W-10D-7L record.
Their most recent meeting came in September 2019. The game finished 3-0 in favour of Ecuador. In spite of their poor record against Ecuador, Bolivia go into the game on Thursday night playing at home, which should greatly benefit them.
Bolivia are a team made up of domestic players. It should help Farias’ team’s performance as there was little travel the players had to make ahead of the game. Ecuador, on the other hand, have called in players from all over the world.
It is easy to look at Bolivia’s goal difference of –6 and claim the team are not good. However, having played against both Brazil and Argentina to start the tournament should give them a pass. Bolivia are not as bad as their current record demonstrates.
Neither Bolivia nor Ecuador qualified for the 2018 World Cup in Russia. Both teams are desperate to reach the finals in Qatar in 2022.
CONBMEBOL offers five qualification places to teams. Four of those places are automatic while the fifth place leads to an inter-confederation playoff. Right now, Ecuador occupies the fifth-place position.
Are either of these teams good enough to make the top five and qualify for the World Cup outright or the playoffs? It is doubtful that they are on paper.
Bolivia’s recent record against Ecuador has been poor, but playing at home this week with a team mostly made up of domestic players, should see them gain a narrow win. Bolivia should overcome their recent form and post a victory with under 2.5 goals scored.