Preview: Mexico vs. Ecuador - prediction, team news, lineups

On the back of a 3-0 defeat to Uruguay last time out, Mexico will look to bounce back to winning ways ahead of the start of the CONCACAF Nations League next week, while both countries have the World Cup looming.

Match preview

Mexico headed into the new year on the back of a successful World Cup Qualifying campaign as they finished second in the North American group, only behind Canada on goal difference.

In their 14 games, El Tri picked up eight wins and amassed 28 points to book their place in the Qatar tournament, before kicking off the new year with a draw against Guatemala in April.

Gerardo Martino's men have already been in action twice in this round of fixtures, too, firstly beating Nigeria 2-1 thanks to Santiago Gimenez's opener and a William Troost-Ekong own goal.

They then took on Uruguay last time out but were on the wrong end of a 3-0 beating as Edinson Cavani hit a brace alongside a Matias Vecino goal on Friday in Arizona.

Now heading into their final friendly before the commencement of the CONCACAF Nations League next week, El Tri will aim to make a return to winning ways and rebuild their momentum with a positive result on Sunday.

Ecuador, meanwhile, will make the trip also looking to build confidence ahead of the World Cup with another victory.

Thanks to a strong start in South American qualifying, La Tri defied the odds to pip Peru, Colombia and Chile to the final spot in the top four and book an automatic place in this year's competition, finishing with 26 points from their 18 games.

That was despite a tough end to the campaign early in 2022, as they picked up three draws and suffered a defeat in their last four matches, before returning to action at the beginning of June with a clash against Nigeria.

Just like Sunday's opponents, Gustavo Alfaro's men triumphed over the Super Eagles, with Pervis Estupinan's early goal making the difference in a 1-0 victory.

With just Sunday's meeting, a friendly against Cape Verde and a September clash with Saudi Arabia to come before the World Cup begins in November, Ecuador will be desperate to build a winning run on the back of Friday's victory as they head into a tough group featuring Netherlands, Senegal and hosts Qatar.

Mexico International Friendlies form:

Mexico form (all competitions):

Ecuador International Friendlies form:

Ecuador form (all competitions):

Team News

Mexico's attack will again be led by Wolverhampton Wanderers striker Raul Jimenez, who leads the current squad for goals with 30 in 96 caps.

Jesus Corona is another key man going forward, although fellow winger Hirving Lozano is unavailable due to injury after he missed Napoli's final game of the league season.

PSV Eindhoven's Erick Gutierrez and Ajax's Edson Alvarez form a strong partnership in the middle of Martino's 3-4-3 system.

Ecuador all-time top scorer Enner Valencia will again feature in attack for La Tri, likely supporting striker Leonardo Campana.

Brighton & Hove Albion prospect Moises Caicedo has taken on an increasingly important role for the national team recently, and he should continue to operate in the engine room alongside Sebas Mendez and Jose Cifuentes.

Further back, Felix Torres will partner Bayer Leverkusen's Piero Hincapie at the heart of the defensive line.

Mexico possible starting lineup:

Talavera; Araujo, Montes, Angulo; Sanchez, Gutierrez, Alvarez, Arteaga; Corona, Jimenez, Vega

Ecuador possible starting lineup:

Dominguez; Preciado, Hincapie, Torres, Estupinan; Cifuentes, Caicedo, Mendez; Valencia, Campana, Mena

We say: Mexico 2-1 Ecuador

In what should be an intriguing encounter between two sides looking to build confidence for the World Cup, we predict a tight contest that could go either way.

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