Ecuador will look to edge closer to World Cup qualification when they travel to Santiago to face Chile in a crucial South American qualifier on Tuesday night. Sebastián Beccacece’s side have been in impressive form, moving up to second in the standings, while Chile find themselves back at the bottom, though their hopes of making the playoffs remain alive.

After signs of improvement at the end of 2024, Chile entered this international break hoping to build on their momentum, but a 1-0 defeat in Paraguay was a setback. Ricardo Gareca’s men dominated the first half but failed to convert their chances before a lackluster second period saw them punished. Peru’s victory over Bolivia has pushed Chile back to the foot of the standings, making their earlier home loss to Bolivia in September look even more costly.

With just five games remaining, Chile sit four points adrift of the playoff spot, but with multiple teams fighting for seventh place, every dropped point could prove crucial. While La Roja’s 4-2 win over Venezuela in November showed they are capable of competing, they have struggled against Ecuador in recent meetings. They lost 1-0 in the reverse fixture in November 2023 and were also beaten at home by Ecuador in qualifying for the last World Cup.

Ecuador, on the other hand, have been one of the standout teams in this qualification campaign. Despite being deducted three points at the start of qualifying, they are now within touching distance of securing their spot at the 2026 finals. Unbeaten in their last six matches, La Tricolor have taken 14 points during that stretch and conceded just once in that run, reinforcing their reputation as the best defensive unit in the competition with only five goals allowed in 13 matches.

Their strong defensive record will be put to the test in what is shaping up to be a tricky final stretch of qualifiers. While they still have to face Brazil and Argentina at home, their remaining away games against the bottom two, Chile and Bolivia, present opportunities to further solidify their position.

Chile will hope to have Alexis Sánchez available after the veteran forward missed the Paraguay defeat. However, injuries remain a concern, with Fabián Hormazábal, Marcelo Morales, Marcelino Núñez, Erick Pulgar, and Williams Alarcón all absent. Arturo Vidal returned to the squad last week, winning his 145th cap, and will be key in midfield.

Ecuador are without wing-backs Ángelo Preciado and Jhoanner Chávez for this match, but the return of Brighton’s Pervis Estupiñán will be a boost. Former Brighton forward Jeremy Sarmiento was left out due to a lack of playing time at Burnley, while Alan Minda and Leonardo Campana are also unavailable. Enner Valencia, now just four caps away from reaching 100, and Chelsea’s Moisés Caicedo, already past the halfway mark to that milestone at just 23, are expected to start.

Chile desperately need a victory to stay in contention for the playoffs, but Ecuador’s defensive solidity makes them a difficult team to break down. With their strong form and a comfortable cushion over Bolivia in the standings, Ecuador will be content with a draw to extend their unbeaten run. However, I expect the hosts to come on top in this clutch clash.

周二晚上，厄瓜多尔将前往圣地亚哥与智利进行一场至关重要的南美预选赛，他们希望离世界杯出线更近一步。Sebastián贝卡切斯的球队状态令人印象深刻，排名上升到第二，而智利队发现自己又回到了垫底，尽管他们进入季后赛的希望仍然存在。

在2024年底有了好转的迹象后，智利参加了这次国际比赛日，希望能继续保持他们的势头，但0 - 1输给巴拉圭是一个挫折。里卡多·加雷卡的队员在上半场占据了主导地位，但在下半场表现平平的情况下，他们未能抓住机会。秘鲁对玻利维亚的胜利将智利拉回了积分榜的垫底位置，使他们9月份主场输给玻利维亚的损失看起来更加惨重。

在只剩下五场比赛的情况下，智利距离季后赛席位还有四分的差距，但在多支球队争夺第七名的情况下，每一分的下降都可能是至关重要的。虽然去年11月4-2战胜委内瑞拉的比赛表明他们有能力参赛，但他们在最近的比赛中与厄瓜多尔的比赛中表现不佳。他们在2023年11月的比赛中以0比1输掉了比赛，在上一届世界杯预选赛中也在主场被厄瓜多尔击败。

另一方面，厄瓜多尔是本届世界杯预选赛中表现突出的球队之一。尽管在预选赛一开始就被扣掉了3分，但他们现在距离确保2026年世界杯决赛圈的席位只有一步之遥。在过去的六场比赛中保持不败，三色军团在这段时间里拿到了14分，只丢了一次球，巩固了他们在13场比赛中只丢了5个球的最佳防守阵容的声誉。

他们强大的防守记录将在预选赛最后一段棘手的比赛中受到考验。虽然他们还必须在主场面对巴西和阿根廷，但他们剩下的客场比赛是对阵垫底的智利和玻利维亚，这是他们进一步巩固地位的机会。

智利希望亚历克西斯Sánchez能够上场，这位老将前锋错过了巴拉圭的失利。然而，伤病仍然是一个问题，Fabián Hormazábal，马塞洛·莫拉莱斯，马塞利诺Núñez，埃里克·普尔加和威廉姆斯Alarcón都缺席。阿图罗·维达尔上周复出，这是他第145次代表国家队出场，他将在中场发挥关键作用。

厄瓜多尔在本场比赛中没有边后卫Ángelo普雷西亚多和约纳Chávez，但是布莱顿的佩尔维斯Estupiñán的回归将会是一个鼓舞。前布莱顿前锋萨米恩托由于在伯恩利缺乏上场时间而被排除在外，而阿兰·明达和莱昂纳多·坎帕纳也无法上场。巴伦西亚现在距离国家队出场100次只差4次了，而切尔西的莫伊萨梅斯·卡伊塞多已经在23岁的时候跨过了这个里程碑的一半，他们都有望首发出场。

智利迫切需要一场胜利来继续争夺季后赛，但厄瓜多尔稳固的防守使他们成为一支难以击败的球队。凭借强劲的状态和在积分榜上对玻利维亚的轻松缓冲，厄瓜多尔将满足于一场平局，以延续他们的不败纪录。然而，我希望东道主能在这场关键的比赛中胜出。