Preview: La Celeste looking to defy Ecuador of a WC spot for the second consecutive time
The fixture has a lot of historical relevance to it and has in the past played a huge role in deciding which team gets to play in the most celebrated football event.
Back in 2001 Ecuador were battling with fellow South American teams to qualify for the World Cup for the first time in their history. La Tri needed just a single point as they squared off against Uruguay at Quito to earn themselves a place in the World Cup, their hopes of making it through were quickly shattered as Uruguay took the lead through a first half penalty. However a late equaliser from Ivan Kaviedes sent the crowd into raptures as Ecuador confirmed their place in the World Cup for the first time.
In 2009 the two sides met again in Quito with similar ambitions as both the sides were hoping to qualify for the World Cup in South Africa via play offs. Antonio Valencia’s opener was cancelled out by Luis Suarez’s equaliser in the very next minute and a last gasp penalty by Diego Forlan earned Uruguay all three points and a place in the World Cup 2010 at the expense of their counterparts.
Óscar Tabárez will be hoping of a similar result when he fields his cavalry on Friday. La Celeste are currently on level points with Ecuador, but an inferior goal difference implies that Uruguay are only the fifth best team in the group a position which cannot guarantee them a place in the World Cup, but can only make them eligible for an intercontinental play-off with Jordan.
A loss in Quito will put Uruguay’s qualification in jeopardy as their subsequent fixture is a home game against the high flying Argentinean side and with Venezuela trailing the Uruguayans by just three points, Óscar Tabárez knows that dropping points is certainly not an option at this stage.
The Uruguayan side will be buoyed by a successful month of September which saw them score successive victories over Peru and Colombia. However they need to be mindful of the fact that 11 of their players are one yellow card away from suspension including Paris Saint Germain star Edinson Cavani, whose services will be dearly missed against Argentina if he is to be cautioned in the match against Ecuador.
Ecuador who made a bright start to the World Cup Qualification campaign have now failed to record a win in any of their last four qualifiers. The Uruguayan defence will however have to be wary of 25 year old Felipe Caicedo who plays his trade at Russian club Lokomotiv Moscow. The former Manchester City man has scored six goals in the qualifiers so far and will be looking to improve his tally as his side clashes with Uruguay.
Where to watch the match – live stream, start time, TV channels, Live scores
Watch Ecuador vs Uruguay live on Friday, October 11, 2013:
In USA at 17:00 ET on beIN Sport Play, beIN Sport en Español, ESPN Deportes Radio
Fans in other parts of the world can watch the match live on their local channels. Those in Australia can watch the match live on Setanta Sports Plus Australia.
For complete details of match listings and live scores, visit the Ecuador vs Uruguay match page.
