Marcelo Bielsa's Uruguay will look to put off-field drama and a disappointing defeat last week to one side when they host Ecuador in Montevideo on Tuesday.
A surprise defeat in Peru on Friday has seen many nations close the gap on Uruguay in CONMEBOL World Cup qualifying, while Ecuador continued their fine campaign with another positive result on matchday nine.
Match preview
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After a fantastic start to qualifying at the end of 2023 which saw Uruguay beat both Brazil and Argentina, they looked as though they were cruising towards a fifth straight World Cup.
However, their form since elimination in the Copa America semi-finals over the summer has been slightly concerning, with some key players missing due to suspension after the melee which ensued after the defeat to Colombia.
A huge slip-up on Friday saw Bielsa's men lose in Peru, handing the Blanquirroja their first win in the section, as La Celeste's defence was breached for the first time in almost 10 hours of qualifying action.
Two 0-0 draws in September's fixtures means Uruguay are still without a goal since that Copa exit, and even though they are still in a comfortable position in third, they now have just a four-point buffer between themselves and the playoff place.
The off-field drama which broke when Luis Suarez accused Bielsa of creating a toxic atmosphere in the Uruguay camp may not have helped, as they suffered a sixth straight game without a win in 90 minutes in Lima.
Uruguay have never lost an international at home to Ecuador, though, and they have only dropped points on three occasions when facing off in qualifying, but the visitors have proven to be awkward customers of late.
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Sebastian Beccacece's men kept another clean sheet in drawing 0-0 with Paraguay last week - their fifth in six qualifiers - as they continue to pick up points at a steady pace.
As one of the biggest overachievers so far, Ecuador have not let a three-point deduction dictate their campaign, because without it, they would be above Brazil and level on points with their upcoming opponents.
Only Argentina and Brazil have got the better of La Tri in the campaign so far, but in what is a devilishly close section, the points deduction means Ecuador are still under threat from those behind them.
Venezuela and Paraguay kept in touch on matchday nine, and Bolivia's win saw them close the gap, as just three points separate fourth from eighth in CONMEBOL at the halfway stage.
Having reached four of the last six World Cups, though, including the last edition in Qatar, Ecuador are well-versed at navigating South American qualifying, and with two additional spots now available, they should still be among the most-fancied sides to make the 2026 finals.
Team News
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Uruguay are able to call upon Darwin Nunez here despite the suspension he was handed following the chaos against Colombia, as the Court of Arbitration for Sport have temporarily suspended it while they review an appeal.
Rodrigo Bentancur still has one more game to serve on his ban, but Jose Maria Gimenez, Matias Olivera and Ronald Araujo are all available again after three-match suspensions.
Araujo is currently out injured though so is not part of the squad, with fellow defenders Sebastian Caceres and Lucas Olaza also currently sidelined, as Bielsa had to use Manuel Ugarte and Guillermo Varela as makeshift centre-backs against Peru.
Enner Valencia is set to be joined by Moises Caicedo as the only Ecuadorian with at least 50 caps in the current squad here, with the Chelsea man set to hit the milestone despite still only being 22.
Despite leaving 10 players out from the previous squad in September, Beccacece still has largely a full-strength squad to choose from, with the likes of Piero Hincapie, Willian Pacho and Pervis Estupinan all available.
The Ecuador boss would have preferred to have Carlos Gruezo and Jhegson Mendez in the squad too though, but the duo are currently sidelined with injury.
Uruguay possible starting lineup:
Rochet; Varela, Gimenez, Bueno, Olivera; Ugarte, Valverde, De Arrascaeta; Pellistri, Nunez, M. Araujo
Ecuador possible starting lineup:
Galindez; Torres, Pacho, Hincapie; Preciado, Franco, Caicedo, Estupinan; Plata, Valencia, Paez
We say: Uruguay 0-0 Ecuador
Uruguay are the joint-top scorers in qualifying with 13, but have not scored in their last three games, and against a mean Ecuador defence, they could struggle once again.
Clean sheets are guiding Ecuador through this qualifying campaign, as the 0-0 last week was the sixth straight qualifier involving them that has seen one goal or less scored, and Uruguay's recent attacking woes suggests this could go the same way.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Andrew Delaney
Argentina
Uruguay
Ecuador
Colombia
Brazil
Paraguay
Bolivia
Venezuela
Chile
Peru
