The Question & The Answer
The Question raised above has a fairly straightforward answer, ‘ Highly Unlikely ‘, and the reasons are plenty.
Mexico : The Overwhelming Favourites
Ecuador will face Mexico in the Round of 32 at the Mexico City Stadium ( Estadio Banorte) on Wednesday, July 1, 6.30 am IST, in what is expected to be an engaging encounter, with Mexico being the overwhelming favourites to come through.
A Terrific Home Advantage
There are several factors which rule out an upset or an Ecuadorian victory at the massive Estadio Banorte. With a packed house of almost 90k fans cheering their team in a highly vociferous melee, it will take a huge effort from the challengers to set aside this massive home advantage.
An Impregnable Defence
Further, Mexico have been brilliant on the pitch with 3 wins out of 3 without conceding a single goal. Their defence has been impregnable, and under the astute management of 67-year-old Javier Aguirre, the team is very tough to beat.
Julian Quinones To Score The Big Goals
South Africa, Korea and Czechia were all well and truly beaten by the co-hosts, netting 6 goals in the process, with the sensational Julian Quinones netting a brace for the Mexicans.
Javier Aguirre Has All The Bases Covered
Javier Aguirre seems to have all the bases covered, and Ecuador, which sneaked into the Round of 32 after beating Germany in a close game to finish third in Group E, will have a lot to plan before they take on the co-hosts.
Ecuador: No Easy Meat…
Ecuador, with Pacho and Hincapie in defence, will be tough to score against and will depend on their most experienced forward, Enner Valencia, to guide them on the pitch.
… And Have Nothing To Lose
The last meeting between Mexico and Ecuador at the 2002 World Cup ended in a 2-1 win for Mexico. A similar result with a similar score is quite a possibility. However, this is a knockout, and Ecuador have nothing to lose, which is dangerous for the Mexican Wave.
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