Ecuador were left frustrated by their opening fixture, as a late Amad Diallo strike secured their defeat to put enormous pressure on them here.

The South American side were unfortunate going forward, and they came close to scoring a few times. They will hope to be more efficient in the final third in round two. 

Curacao were beaten 7-1 by Germany last time out, and while there was a significant gulf in quality between the two sides, Curacao did at times pose a genuine threat in the final third, particularly in the first half.

With both sides still on zero points, this could be quite an open game as they try to keep their World Cup hopes alive.

Curacao had to put in a considerable number of last-ditch defensive actions against Germany, while goalkeeper Eloy Room made four saves in addition to conceding seven goals.

The Germans were able to carve through Curacao's defensive structure at will - Julian Nagelsmann’s troops deserve credit for their fluid football, but Curacao were offering up plenty of space in midfield, and weren’t tracking runners very well. 

Germany finished the game with eight corners to their name. Ecuador recorded five corners against Ivory Coast in round one, but they should see a lot more success in the final third against Curacao, especially given the context of the group.

Nico Schlotterbeck was completely dominant in the air against Curacao, recording two shots that both hit the target, and one even found the back of the net to restore Germany’s lead.

Curacao struggled throughout to defend set-pieces in round one, and it was clear to see their lack of a dominant aerial leader or organisation to prevent the Germans from getting on the end of crosses. 

Piero Hincapie is one of Ecuador's primary set-piece threats, and he should find plenty of opportunities to get into the Curacao box here. Even from open play, Hincapie will want to contribute going forward - Germany left back Nathaniel Brown had two shots and even scored against Curacao last time out.

Despite losing 7-1 against Germany, Curacao were fouled a total of 18 times by Germany, with a lot of those infringements concentrated in midfield. Aleksandar Pavlovic accounted for six of those fouls, and Moises Caicedo will operate in a similar central midfield position here. 

The 24-year-old racked up three fouls against Ivory Coast in round one, and he was fortunate to escape without a caution. Caicedo has landed this selection in 16 of his last 20 starts for Ecuador, including each of the last six in a row.

Even domestically, Caicedo averaged 1.71 fouls per 90 across all competitions for Chelsea this season, which translated to 16 yellows and one red from his 50 appearances.

Caicedo should find direct duels against Juninho Bacuna in midfield, and that is a matchup to keep an eye on.

Curacao didn’t have an easy opening fixture against Germany at all, but Juninho still saw a fair amount of the ball for his side and was not shy about trying to beat his marker.

He was fouled twice in that match to land this selection, and he had an average of 2.55 fouls drawn per 90 for Curacao during their qualifying matches.

He is adept at drawing contact in midfield just to alleviate the pressure on his side, and Ecuador should be a lot more aggressive and intense in their press from the outset here.