Bitesize Prediction: Ecuador vs Venezuela – 22/06/24

Competition: Copa America

Market: Ecuador win

Odds: 19/20 @ Pribet

Looking to open their Copa America adventure with an early statement, Ecuador will meet Venezuela in Santa Clara late on Saturday night.

Starting with Ecuador, while La Tri might have suffered real World Cup frustration out in Qatar 18 months ago as they failed to progress out of the group stage, Felix Sanchez Bas has seen his squad come roaring back in an eye-catching fashion. Suffering just a single defeat from any of their first six World Cup qualifying appearances last year, it appears that the mood in their camp should be at a recent high. With some even billing the Tricolors a potential dark horse contender to mount a late charge this summer, the one-time Barcelona coach will be smelling the chance to make an early statement here. Picking up some perfect momentum over the past fortnight as they secured back-to-back victories against Honduras and Bolivia respectively, Ecuador will also be excited by a stellar record against Saturday’s opponents. In fact, Bas’ men have lost just one of their previous 10 consecutive meetings agains their Group B rivals – a run that stems all the way back to July 2011.

As for Venezuela, although La Vinotinto might have sprung a major World Cup qualifying upset during October’s international break as they secured a famous 3-0 victory against Chile, Fernando Batista’s men have continued to struggle with their consistency. Not making a single appearance since they were forced to settle for a 0-0 stalemate against Guatemala back on March 24th, the former Argentina coach has seen his fail to win any of their previous five appearances across all competitions. Signing off 2023 with a 1-0 loss at the hands of Colombia, Venezuela have shown some extended issues on foreign soil. Including a 2-1 defeat against European giants Italy during March’s international break, Batista’s men have failed to win any of their last seven consecutive showdowns outside of Caracas – a run that stems all the way back to September 2022. Likewise, recording just a single victory against Ecuador over the past 13 years, Venezuela should face a real challenge here.

Bet: Ecuador 19/20 to beat Venezuela in Saturday’s Copa America showdown @ Pribet