Ecuador vs Germany Preview, Betting Offer, How to Watch & Bet on World Cup 2026 Matches
James Milton
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Ecuador take on Germany in their final Group E fixture on Thursday and the Germans are already assured of top spot in the section.
Julian Nagelsmann's men cruised to a 7-1 win over Curacao in their opening game but they had to work far harder for a 2-1 victory against Ivory Coast on matchday two. Germany trailed the Elephants 1-0 until substitute Deniz Undav equalised in the 68th minute and the Stuttgart striker scored a dramatic winner in the fourth minute of injury-time.
That was a crucial goal for Die Mannschaft, allowing Nagelsmann to rest and rotate his squad for their final group game in East Rutherford. Ecuador coach Sebastian Beccacece cannot afford that luxury as his side are staring down the barrel of an early exit.
They arrived at the tournament with high hopes, having finished second to Argentina in South American qualifying, conceding only five goals in 18 matches. But Ecuador are far less effective at the other end of the pitch, as illustrated by their first two results in Group E.
They registered only one shot on target against Ivory Coast, who pinched a 1-0 win thanks to Amad Diallo's 90th-minute goal. On matchday two, Ecuador created bundles of chances but were unable to take any of them in a 0-0 draw with group outsiders Curacao.
The underdogs' goalkeeper Eloy Room made a record-equalling 15 saves to leave Ecuador needing a victory against Germany in order to qualify for the knockout stages. History is not on their side as Germany have won the two previous meetings, beating La Tri 3-0 at the 2006 World Cup and 4-2 in a friendly in May 2013.
The context of the group boosts Ecuador's chances a little but backing Germany to win and both teams to score still looks the best bet. While Nagelsmann may well shuffle his pack, having secured top spot in the group, he has plenty of quality in reserve.
Real Madrid centre-back Antonio Rudiger and Bayern Munich midfielder Leon Goretzka were among the substitutes used by Germany against Ivory Coast. And Undav, who has scored three times in two appearances off the bench, is pushing for a start up front. Only Harry Kane scored more Bundesliga goals than the Stuttgart man this season and Germany can finish the group stage with another entertaining win.
After failing to find the net in their first two games, Ecuador must take a bolder approach and backing Germany to win and both teams to score was a winning bet in five of their last six internationals. Injury restricted Bayern forward Jamal Musiala to only seven Bundesliga starts so Nagelsmann may keep him in the starting line-up to build up his match fitness.
Musiala, named in Uefa's Team of the Tournament at Euro 2024, scored Germany's fourth goal against Curacao and has had five shots in his first two games. No player scored more than his three goals at the Euros and he is worth backing to break the deadlock against Ecuador, having struck three times in 118 minutes at last summer's Club World Cup in the USA.
Ecuador vs Germany Predicted Line-ups
Ecuador (3-5-2)
H. Galíndez; A. Franco, W. Pacho, P. Hincapié; J. Yeboah, P. Vite, J. Alcívar, Moisés Caicedo, P. Estupiñán; G. Plata, Enner Valencia
Germany (4-2-3-1)
M. Neuer; J. Kimmich, J. Tah, A. Rüdiger, D. Raum; P. Groß, L. Goretzka; J. Leweling, J. Musiala, F. Wirtz; D. Undav
