The first Group B fixture at Copa America 2024 features Ecuador taking on Venezuela, two teams that have met 36 times before.
Group B at Copa America 2024 is wide open. Although Mexico are the favorites to win the group, Ecuador and Venezuela both have solid chances of advancing to the quarter-finals with a second-place finish. The first step to getting to the Knockout Stage, though, comes on June 22 when the CONMEBOL sides face one another.
In the months that followed the 0-0 draw between the two teams back in November 2023, Ecuador and Venezuela have only lost two matches respectively; Ecuador fell to Argentina and Italy while Venezuela could not contain Colombia and Italy. Their Copa America showdown will be much closer than some fans might think.
Here's 90min's guide to Ecuador vs Venezuela at Copa America 2024.
Ecuador vs Venezuela H2H record (last five games)
Current form (all competitions)
Ecuador | Venezuela |
|---|---|
Ecuador 2-1 Honduras - June 16, 2024 | Guatemala 0-0 Venezuela - Mar. 24, 2024 |
Ecuador 3-1 Bolivia - June 12, 2024 | Italy 2-1 Venezuela - Mar. 21, 2024 |
Argentina 1-0 Ecuador - June 9, 2024 | Colombia 1-0 Venezuela - Dec. 10, 2023 |
Italy 2-0 Ecuador - Mar. 24, 2024 | Peru 1-1 Venezuela - Nov. 21, 2023 |
Guatemala 0-2 Ecuador - Mar. 21, 2024 | Venezuela 0-0 Ecuador - Nov. 16, 2023 |
Country | TV/live stream |
|---|---|
United States | FS1, TUDN, Univision, Fox Sports App, Fubo |
United Kingdom | N/A |
Ecuador's young talent make Sanchez's team an exciting watch this summer. Bayer Leverkusen's 22-year-old defender, Piero Hincapie, will start at left-back due to Pervis Estupinan's injury, and 17-year-old, Kendry Paez gets to show off his skill on the wing before his big move to Chelsea.
Once you factor in Ecuador's all-time leading goalscorer, Enner Valencia, and Chelsea's Moises Caicedo, La Tri's squad has plenty of experience as well, giving them a nice balance at Copa America 2024.
Ecuador predicted lineup vs Venezuela ( 4-2-3-1 ): Dominguez; Preciado, Torres, Pacho, Hincapie; Ortiz, Caicedo; Yeboah, Sarmiento, Paez; Valencia
Venezuela's squad lacks the big names Ecuador's team possesses, and their recent run of form shows the consequences. La Vinotinto have not won a game since October 2023, and that was against Chile who had ten men for almost the entire second half.
Venezuela's defense is their biggest strength, though. In their last nine matches, their backline has only given up more than one goal once, and that was to the reigning Euro champions, Italy.
Venezuela predicted lineup vs Ecuador ( 4-3-3 ): Romo; Navarro, Makoun, Angel, Gonzalez; Casseres, Martinez, Herrera; Savarino, Rondon, Soteldo
Four of the last six meetings between Ecuador and Venezuela have ended in a draw. In their last match back in November 2023, Venezuela only registered two shots on target, and Ecuador only had one.
The two teams know each other well, and there are typically few chances on either end for a high scoring game every time they face off.