Ecuador will aim to continue their very good form in qualifiers against the powerhouse Brazil who will be led by new manager Tite.
Ecuador currently share the first place in the rankings with Uruguay having collected 13 points from first six games – a very good start for the Ecuadorians who only lost to Colombia so far. Meanwhile, Brazil are sitting in the 6th place with nine points, and a run of very poor results have led to the dismissal of previous manager Dunga and arrival of Tite.
55-year old manager is famous for his successful stint at Corinthians, which he managed from 2004 to 2005; then from 2010 to 2013, when he led the team to their first Copa Libertadores title and a second FIFA Club World Cup title; and, after taking a sabbatical year to study more about modern football, from 2015 until June 2016 when he became Brazil’s manager. Known for his eloquence, Tite is well known for his rhetoric and his demeanor off the pitch.
Brazil have traveled to Quito early (past Friday) to try to accomodate to the high altitude as much as possible. Tite will certainly try to win six points in the upcoming matches (after meeting in Quito, Brazil will host Colombia in Rio de Janeiro five days later) to lead the team into the qualifying spots.
Good news for the hosts is return of Luis Antonio Valencia who was suspended against Colombia, as well as Felipe Caicedo who shook off his injury.
Head to Head:
Ecuador have won only two out of 30 previous meetings against Brazil – both of them in the World Cup Qualifiers, though. Their most recent triumph happened in 2004 since when they played seven times – Brazil won five encounters while two ended in a draw, including the Copa America meeting three months ago.
However, Brazil last won in Ecuador in 1983Â in a Copa America match, and never did they beat the Ecuadorians there in a qualifier meeting.
Possible line-ups:
Ecuador: Alexander DomĂnguez; Juan Carlos Paredes, Gabriel Achilier, Arturo Mina, Walter AyovĂ; Christian Noboa, Jefferson Orejuela, Renato Ibarra, Jefferson Monero; Miller Bolaños, Felipe Caicedo.
Brazil: Allison; Dani Alves, Miranda, Marquinos, Marcelo; Casemiro, Renato Augusto, Paulinho, Willian; Neymar, Gabriel.
Date: 1 September 2016
Time: 23:00 CET (16:00 local)
Venue: Olimpico Atahualpa, Quito, Ecuador
Referee: Enrique Caceres Villafane (PAR)
From : Sofascore.com
