CONMEBOL WCQ: Ecuador vs Uruguay Betting Odds
Uruguay Kick off Campaign With Three Points
Ecuador Tough to Beat at Home
Uruguay kicked off their 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign with a 3-1 win over Chile. Meanwhile, Ecuador narrowly lost 1-0 to defending World Cup champions Argentina. Ecuador host Uruguay in Quito on Tuesday, which has proven to be an incredibly difficult place to play in the past. With La Tricolor looking to get back on track, we’ll take a look at the Ecuador vs Uruguay betting odds.
Ecuador vs Uruguay
Day/Time:
Location: Estadio Rodrigo Paz Delgado, Quito, Ecuador
Head-to-Head
This has been quite a competitive fixture over the last 10 years or so. Over the last seven meetings, both FIFA teams have three wins and one match has finished in a draw. Notably, Ecuador have won each of their last three home matches vs Uruguay. In the last CONMEBOL World Cup qualifying match between the two sides, in 2021, Uruguay scored a 90th minute winner in Montevideo. The last head-to-head matchup in Ecuador finished 4-2 to La Tricolor.
Messi Sinks Ecuador
- Last Match: 0-1 L at Argentina
- Next Match: Oct. 12 at Bolivia
- Key Injuries/Suspensions: D Piero Hincapie (Out)
Ecuador did well not to concede in open play vs Argentina on Thursday but couldn’t completely stop Lionel Messi. Argentina got a free kick on the edge of the box in the 78th minute of the match and Lionel Messi put the ball past Hernan Galindez with finesse. So, La Tricolor fell 1-0 in their first of 18 CONMEBOL qualifiers.
Felix Sanchez Bas and Ecuador are happy to be returning home for Tuesday’s match, as they rarely lose on home soil. Quito, which is at an altitude of 9,350 feet, is one of the highest capital cities in the world. So, it’s certainly not an easy place to play and confers a home-field advantage for Ecuador.
Ecuador managed to draw vs. both Argentina and Brazil at home in 2022 World Cup qualifiers and lost just one home match. Here, the Ecuador vs Uruguay betting odds do price Ecuador as favorites. With home field advantage and talents like Enner Valencia, Moises Caicedo and Gonzalo Plata, it’s not too difficult to see why.
Bielsa, Uruguay off to Excellent Start
- Last Match: 3-1 W vs. Chile
- Next Match: Oct. 12 at Colombia
- Key Injuries/Suspensions: D Ronald Araujo (Out), D Jose Gimenez (Out), M Rodrigo Bentancur (Out), M Giorgian de Arrascaeta (Out)
Marcelo Bielsa is ushering in a new era of Uruguayan football. Gone are Luis Suarez, Diego Godin and Edinson Cavani. Bielsa will look to rely on Federico Valverde and Darwin Nunez heavily and they played outsized roles in Uruguay’s 3-1 opening win vs Chile on Friday. Nicolas de la Cruz scored twice, Nunez bagged two assists and Fede Valverde scored in a complete game for Uruguay.
It’d be shocking if Uruguay aren’t in the top six in the CONMEBOL standings to qualify for an automatic World Cup bid. They typically defend well but they are missing two key defenders, Ronald Araujo and Jose Gimenez here. Regardless, Bielsa and Uruguay will look to continue to build momentum as they head to Ecuador on Tuesday.
Uruguay last won on the road at Ecuador in 2009 and this by no means figures to be an easy match. The midfield battle could be quite important and Manuel Ugarte, Valverde and de la Cruz looked like a solid pairing on Friday. It’s important that Uruguay take their chances here, as Nunez’s finishing was wasteful at times vs Chile.
Match Analysis and Odds
As two of the best CONMEBOL sides face off, the Ecuador vs Uruguay betting odds list hosts Ecuador as -105 favorites. Ecuador’s home record in 2022 World Cup qualifiers was 5-3-1 and they’ve gotten the better of Uruguay on home soil in recent times. They’re still looking for their first goal of qualifiers and there’s no better candidate to score than Enner Valencia.
Valencia scored three of Ecuador’s four goals at Qatar 2022 and is Ecuador’s all-time leading scorer. Here, Ecuador -0.5, -1 displays +130 odds as Uruguay +0.5, +1 comes in at -160. Uruguay at +310 moneyline odds may appear to be an intriguing pick but they have struggled at Ecuador even with the likes of Luis Suarez and Edinson Cavani up top.
Notably, recent matches between Ecuador and Uruguay have been high-scoring. Four of the last five meetings have finished with three or more goals. However, under 2.5 goals are priced at -140 odds for Tuesday’s match. A draw wouldn’t at all be a bad result for Uruguay and one sits at +235 odds here.
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