Chile vs Ecuador: Copa America 2015, Schedule, Predictions, Rosters, Stream & Preview
It's been four years since we last saw Uruguay defeat Paraguay at the 2011 Copa America in Argentina. Well, the Copa America is back and this year promises to be a memorable one for the ages.
The first game of the 2015 Copa America will be played between Chile and Ecuador. Let's preview the game and pick a winner.
Chile (19)
Chile enters this Copa America not only as the favorite to win Group A, but as the host nation. The Chilean National Team is ranked No. 19 in the world. Chile has done very well as the host nation placing second and third four times. Unfortunately for Chile, they have never won the Copa America before with an 0-4 record in the finals.
One of the biggest reasons Chile is being praised by fans is because of their goalkeeper Claudio Bravo. Bravo led Barcelona to a Spanish League Championship in La Liga as well as a Copa del Rey title this season. Chile just may have the best goalkeeper in this competition.
Outside of Bravo, Chile still has a strong squad this year. Alexis Sánchez and Eduardo Vargas create a great offensive duo, and Arturo Vidal, Jorge Valdivia and Matías Fernández lead an elite midfield. Bravo may not be under a lot of pressure considering the fact that Chile has such a great pack of midfielders.
Chile holds the all-time edge over Ecuador with 27 wins to just 10 losses. The last time these two teams faced off in the Copa America was in 2001 when Chile defeated Ecuador, 4-1, in Colombia.
Ecuador (31)
The Ecuador National Team is ranked No. 31 in the world heading into the Copa America. Ecuador will have to get past Chile, Bolivia and Mexico in Group A. Thankfully for Ecuador, Mexico isn't playing at full strength because of their upcoming Gold Cup preparations.
Ecuador is considered sort of an underrated "dark horse" team this year. Although Ecuador doesn't have a very powerful offense, they do have a great defense led by Walter Ayoví, Juan Carlos Paredes and Frickson Erazo. Goalkeeper Alexander Domínguez is expected to get the start in net by head coach Gustavo Quinteros.
Ayoví is Ecuador's captain this year.
Historically speaking, Ecuador has never really made their presence felt at the Copa America. Their best finish at this tournament is fourth place, which came in 1959 and 1993. Ecuador was the host nation both of those years.
Schedule, Where to Watch
Chile and Ecuador will play each other on Thursday, June 11 at 7:30 p.m. EST at the Estadio Nacional in Santiago. The game will be shown on the beIN Sports Network. You can watch a live game stream here.
Predictions
Ecuador will put up a good fight, but Chile should be able to take care of business. Chile needs to send a message with the rest of South America watching on opening night. Ecuador has a strong defense, but Chile doesn't have a big glaring weakness to penetrate.
Chile wins 2-0