It is fair to say that these two teams have been the least entertaining in South American qualifying so far, but neither will care too much if they go through.

Remarkably, Paraguay have scored twice and conceded three times in their eight games so far, with only one of those games not ending in a 0-0 or 1-0 scoreline.

Each of Ecuador's games has been either a draw or a one-goal affair, with two 0-0 and four 1-0 draws, but the hosts are in excellent shape after eight games, despite being hit with a three-point penalty before the start of the section.

Without the penalty, Ecuador would be on 14 points, just four behind leaders Argentina, who narrowly edged them out with a 1-0 win over Peru last month.

Sebastian Beccacece's side lost in Brazil a few days earlier, but they remain above the Selecao on the eighth round's results, and with just two points separating the five nations in the final qualifying places, things are tight.

The defeat in Brazil was only their second in qualifying, the other coming away to Argentina, so there is no shame in losing to two of the toughest international teams in the world, and if they can continue to be unstoppable they will be on course for a fifth World Cup in seven attempts.

Paraguay, however, took advantage of Brazil's troubles to beat them a few days later, a 1-0 victory that put them back in contention.

Gustavo Alfaro's side currently occupy the seventh and final play-off spot, with one of the five teams currently separated by just two points set to miss out.

Paraguay will be hoping that is not the case, but it would be a remarkable achievement if they did, given their current form.

No team in CONMEBOL qualifying has a worse attack or a better defence and, unsurprisingly, their two wins so far have both been 1-0, against Brazil and Bolivia respectively.

The visitors to Quito will also know what to expect, as Paraguay's last two away games in qualifying have ended goalless, but with every point crucial at the moment, there is no reason for Alfaro to make any changes.

Paraguay's results at the Copa America illustrate this point, as they scored in all three of their group matches but lost each one to crash out.

Ecuador's match-winner against Peru, Enner Valencia, is the only player in the squad with more than 50 caps, and that experience will prove vital, but 22-year-old Moises Caicedo is on the verge of joining him as he is just two short of reaching the half-century mark.

Ten players were left out of the squad last time out, with Carlos Gruezo and Jhegson Mendez two of the home side's biggest absentees through injury.

A lack of game time at Leganes has meant that defender Jackson Porozo has been omitted from the squad, but the back three is expected to be the same as in the win over Peru.

Paraguay's main men have struggled for game time in the Premier League, with neither Julio Enciso nor Miguel Almiron in the starting line-up at Brighton & Hove Albion and Newcastle United respectively.

Alvaro Campuzano will miss this week's two games through injury, while Blas Riveros' cameo against Brazil was not enough to earn him a recall, as he has not played much for Talleres in Argentina.

Ecuador possible starting lineup:

Galindez; Torres, Pacho, Hincapie; Preciado, Franco, Caicedo, Estupinan; Mercado, Valencia, Paez

Paraguay possible starting lineup:

Fernandez; Caceres, Balbuena, Alderete, Alonso; Villasanti, Bobadilla; Gomez, Enciso, Almiron; Pitta

Prediction:Ecuador 0-0 Paraguay

Ecuador VS Paraguay stream and TV listing

Google search：Holasports