Ecuador vs. Ivory Coast

Philadelphia Stadium, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Sunday, June 14th, 7 p.m. ET

Ecuador is on everyone’s lips as a team capable of causing upsets at this World Cup, and after watching them throughout qualification, it is easy to see why. They open against an Ivory Coast side who were also impressive in qualifying, albeit against far less demanding opposition. 

Ivory Coast enjoyed a near-perfect qualifying campaign, finishing with eight wins and two draws from 10 matches while remarkably failing to concede a single goal. That level of defensive consistency deserves credit, but this will be a significant step up in class. 

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Ecuador, meanwhile, arguably faced one of the toughest qualification paths of any nation heading into this tournament. The South American side played 18 matches against the likes of Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay, and Colombia, twice each, and still conceded just five goals across the entire campaign, finishing second only to Argentina. 

Those defensive numbers naturally point towards the unders in this match, with just five goals conceded combined by both sides during qualification. But the stronger case is Ecuador’s, because the gap in opposition faced makes their price more appealing. 

Ecuador is unbeaten in their last 19 international matches, a run stretching back to September 2024, just one month after Sebastián Beccacece took charge. Since then, they have looked incredibly difficult to break down. 

The spine of this Ecuador side is one of the strongest in the tournament, with Piero Hincapié, Willian Pacho and Moisés Caicedo giving them quality and leadership through the middle of the pitch. Ivory Coast has attacking quality, but against a defensive core this strong, I think they will struggle to create enough chances. 

I looked at Ecuador to win to nil, and even the 1-0 correct score market, but Ecuador on the moneyline at +140 is the bet I like most and, for me, offers the best value on Day 4.

World Cup Best Bet: Ecuador vs Ivory Coast– Ecuador Moneyline +140

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