It may not be the most attractive pairing on paper, but the clash between Ivory Coast and Ecuador in Philadelphia could be among the most interesting in the first round of the World Cup group stage.
The duel at Lincoln Financial Field starts at one o'clock after midnight our time.
At the same time, this could be a key duel for qualification, as Germany is the absolute favorite in Group E, and Curacao is a total outsider.
Both national teams are ready for a football battle - this is confirmed by the statements of the "elephants" coach, Feja emerged.
"It's going to be a battle. But that's a part of the game that I'm not interested in. I'm sure my team will have an answer for that," Fey said.
He wants his team to be unpredictable.
"If we organize ourselves well in defense, I like to give freedom to the players. I like players who can create, who have imagination and who never do the same things on the field. In this day and age when everyone has video, it's easy for opponents to analyze us. We have to be unpredictable."
On the other hand, Ecuador were the hit of the South American qualifiers. They won second place and were the only team within a single digit of Argentina. The icing on the cake of an excellent campaign in the final round of qualifiers was a victory over the “gauchos” (1:0).
Including friendly matches, "La Tri" are undefeated in a total of 19 matches. The last time they left the field with their heads bowed was in September 2024, when they were defeated away to Brazil (1:0). Since then, Ecuador has drawn 11 and won eight.
The match was supposed to be refereed by an Englishman. Michael Oliver, but he dropped out due to injury. He is replaced by the Frenchman Francois Letexie.
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