Ivory Coast had an average of 7.2 corners per game at the recent AFCON, and they cleared this line in all five of their matches.

They were incredibly effective at getting to the byline and looking to cross the ball in, and they managed seven corners against Egypt in the quarter-final when they were eliminated.

Emerse Fae will again have plenty of attacking talent at his disposal, particularly in wide areas, with the likes of Amad Diallo, Yan Diomande, Nicolas Pepe and Simon Adingra, which makes corners a target. 

Ecuador are a side who like to keep things tight defensively, particularly in central areas. Ivory Coast are likely to channel play out wide rather than looking to play centrally, which again increases the likelihood of corners.

Group E is one of the most competitive ones on paper, and a defeat here could spell serious danger for whoever loses, given that Ivory Coast and Ecuador still have to face Germany.

This is likely to be quite a feisty affair given the potential ramifications, so it wouldn’t be a surprise to see plenty of cards dished out. 

Ecuador can be a frustrating side to play against - they keep things compact defensively, looking to frustrate their opponents and counter quickly.

Ivory Coast also have an aggressive edge to their play, and they averaged 17.8 fouls per game at AFCON.

Enner Valencia is still going strong as Ecuador's talisman at 36-years-old, and he scored six goals in 14 starts for Ecuador during their qualifiers to help them finish second in the CONMEBOL standings.

In fact, Ecuador failed to score in three out of the four games in which Valencia didn’t start, highlighting his importance in the final third. 

The former Everton man had an average of 3.54 shots per 90 in the qualifiers, which was the highest in the squad, and exactly half of his efforts hit the target.

Valencia will be the designated penalty taker for his side, and he will be given a massive role going forward again here.

Ibrahim Sangare contributed massively to that record from a defensive midfield position, as he accounted for 15 infringements in just four starts at AFCON.

He landed this selection in all of those appearances, including at least four fouls in three of those. Sangare actually ranked second out of all players in the competition for total fouls committed - that is even more impressive considering Ivory Coast only made it to the quarter-finals, and the 28-year-old missed one game in the group stages.

The Nottingham Forest man is given plenty of ground to cover for his national side, and he will be tasked with cutting out counterattacks against Ecuador.

Wilfried Singo started at centre back against France last time out, in their final warm-up friendly before the World Cup, and he helped his side secure a 2-1 win.

Singo was fouled twice as he coped relatively well with the threat of Kylian Mbappe, and he looks set to play a big role at the World Cup here. 

The Galatasaray defender has been adept at drawing contact throughout the season, averaging 1.87 fouls drawn per 90 for his club. He tends to go down easily under contact, which allows his side to establish themselves on the ball.

Ecuador tend to be aggressive in their duels, and they had an average of 12.8 fouls per game in their qualifying matches.