This is the first match of the tournament with a total of 1.5 and that's because Ecuador is a stellar defensive club -- a whopping 13 clean sheets in qualifying. Defenders Piero Hincapié and Willian Pacho recently squared off in the Champions League final, and Moisés Caicedo is considered one of the top defensive midfielders in Europe (plays for Chelsea). I definitely came here looking to play Under 2.5 but since that's not an option, will go this route. Ecuador is ranked nine spots higher by FIFA. Ivory Coast is quite talented led by Yan Diomande and might make noise in 2030 (Morocco, Portugal, and Spain host) as the youngest team in this field. It has never beaten a South American team in the WC.
If you LOVE high scoring matchups with fierce attacks, then please, I beg you, stay away from this match. We have a match between two incredible defenses, who prioritize sitting back and parking the bus. Ivory Coast won their group stage without conceding a single goal over 10 matches. Ecuador finished second in the CONMEBOL World Cup qualifiers, conceded just five goals over 18 matches. Neither team has a great attack, but both teams are absolute walls on defense. I think this ends 0-0.
