Pre-match information
After a dismal Copa America campaign that ended in the quarter-finals, Brazil are looking to put that disappointment behind them by adjusting their approach in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers.
Coach Dorival Junior admitted his team had not achieved “the results they wanted” during the summer. But how will he cope without Raphinha, who scored a hat-trick and provided two assists for Barcelona last weekend?
Brazil have had an unimpressive start to qualifying - winning 2, drawing 1, losing 3, with their last 3 defeats in a row.
The Selecao can be confident of their chances against Ecuador having not lost in their last 12 meetings (W8 D4). That result could have been better as they led in three of those four draws.
For Ecuador, two of those four draws came in World Cup qualifying and that's a source of confidence. La Tri's summer has gone in a similar fashion to Brazil's, as they were also knocked out of the Copa América on penalties in the quarter-finals.
Of course, losing to Argentina - the world and Copa America champions - is no shame. However, being a guest in Brazil is not easy...
