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  Chile face Ecuador test

Chile face Ecuador test

AFP
Published : Oct 5, 2016, 11:27 pm IST
Updated : Oct 5, 2016, 11:27 pm IST

Chile face a daunting trip to Ecuador on Thursday as they attempt to get their faltering 2018 World Cup qualification campaign back on track at a venue where they have never won.

Chile face a daunting trip to Ecuador on Thursday as they attempt to get their faltering 2018 World Cup qualification campaign back on track at a venue where they have never won.

After eight rounds of South America’s marathon qualifying campaign, two-time Copa America champions Chile are languishing in seventh place, two points adrift of Ecuador in fifth.

Despite being able to call upon the likes of Alexis Sanchez, Arturo Vidal and Claudio Bravo, Chile have stumbled from one setback to the next so far.

Chile coach Juan Antonio Pizzi has recalled playmaker Jorge Valdivia following a 10-month exile while Bravo, Sanchez and Vidal are all expected to start at Quito’s Estadio Olimpico Atahualpa, which is some 9,000 feet above sea level.

Ecuador, meanwhile, head into the game looking to rediscover their winning habit.

In other matches, Uruguay will be confident of holding onto their position at the top of the standings when they face bottom-placed Venezuela in Montevideo, with star strikers Edinson Cavani and Luis Suarez both expected to play.

A resurgent Brazil meanwhile will attempt to extend the feel-good factor when they take on eighth-placed Bolivia in Natal.

Argentina, who are level with Brazil on 15 points but trail their rivals on goal difference, face an awkward trip to Lima to face Peru sans injured captain Lionel Messi.

China, Qatar look for good show Beijing: Ambitious China and 2022 hosts Qatar will come out fighting as they seek to salvage their bids to reach the 2018 Russia World Cup on Thursday.

China, with one point from their two games so far, entertain war-torn Syria in Xian, while rock-bottom Qatar have it all to do against Son Heung-Min’s South Korea.

Asian champions Australia have strolled through their first two games and with Saudi Arabia also having the same stats, a fervent atmosphere is expected when the two lock horns.

Japan, stunned 2-1 by UAE in their first game, hit back by beating Thailand and they will be strong favourites when they take on Iraq in Saitama.

South Korea were surprisingly held 0-0 by Syria in their second outing but they will be expected to blow a giant hole in Qatar’s World Cup bid in Suwon.

Qatar are scrambling to reach their first World Cup before they host the tournament in 2022, but a third straight defeat would leave their chances remote.

They are also dealing with internal turmoil after Jose Daniel Carreno was sacked and replaced earlier this month with fellow Uruguayan Jorge Fossati.

Location: Uruguay, Montevideo