Form and Line-up Ecuador
Before the start of the 2026 World Cup, a better result was clearly expected from Ecuador. In qualifying for the world championship, the team conceded only five goals in 18 matches - that strong defence has remained at the tournament itself, but problems have now emerged in attack. Beccacece's players have still not scored at the 2026 World Cup, despite creating plenty of chances. In nine games before the world championship, the squad failed to score only once - the crisis is obvious.
Key numbers for Ecuador:
Ecuador have not scored a single goal in 180 minutes at the 2026 World Cup, while accumulating 3.86 xG (a top-10 figure after two rounds).
Ecuador captain Valencia leads the tournament after two rounds for big chances missed (four).
Ecuador have won only four of their last 15 matches.
Probable Ecuador line-up (3-1-4-2): Hernan Galindez - Piero Hincapie, Willian Pacho, Alan Franco - Jordy Alcivar - Pervis Estupinan, Moises Caicedo, Pedro Vite, John Yeboah - Enner Valencia, Gonzalo Plata
Form and Line-up Germany
Nagelsmann's players are doing exactly what is expected of Germany at the tournament. The team are among the first to reach the play-offs, and their attacking base inspires confidence among the fans. Yes, there have been individual setbacks, such as Sane's weak performance, but Germany have far more players who have been pleasant surprises. Nmecha, Brown and Undav can be included in that group - they are having an impressive 2026 World Cup. The wins over Curacao (7:1) and Ivory Coast (2:1) were fully deserved because of their attacking volume.
Key numbers for Germany:
After two rounds, Germany lead the tournament for goals scored (nine) and expected goals (6.10).
Undav is the best player at the 2026 World Cup for goals plus assists. The Stuttgart forward has produced 3+2 after two substitute appearances.
Germany are on an 11-match winning run. Over that spell, they have scored fewer than 2+ goals only once.
Probable Germany line-up (4-2-3-1): Manuel Neuer - Nathaniel Brown, Antonio Rudiger, Jonathan Tah, Joshua Kimmich - Aleksandar Pavlovic, Felix Nmecha - Florian Wirtz, Jamal Musiala, Nadiem Amiri - Deniz Undav
Absentees: Nico Schlotterbeck (injury)
Who will referee the match
Tori Penso (USA)
Matches – 6 (International matches, 2025 - 2026);
Average fouls per match – 23;
Average yellow/red cards per match (including second yellows) – 3,7;
Matches with a straight red card – 0 out of 6;
Matches with a penalty – 1 out of 6.














