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Ecuadorian coach Gustavo Alfaro is a confident captain and talisman Enner Valencia will have compatibility and shoot for his team’s final World Cup break against Senegal.
The former West Ham and Everton striker Valencia has scored all 3 of Ecuador’s goals in the tournament so far, suffering a knee injury.
The 33-year-old scored twice in the 2-0 win over Qatar on opening night and then drew in the 1-1 draw against the Netherlands.
Those effects left the South Americans needing just a draw in their final Group A outing on Tuesday to qualify for the knockout stages, however, Valencia’s fitness is worried after being sent off in both games.
Speaking at his pre-match press conference, Alfaro said: “Unfortunately, he has a sprained knee, but he has a great centre and needs to be in each and every war for our national team.
“He needs to be there and, of course, his leadership is all we need.
“He’s an ordinary player. He’s someone I would choose for my national team. We will review it to prepare it for the next game. “
“If you’re not in a position from the beginning, you may be there at some point, but I’m sure of myself because I know you’ll need to be there. It’s fiery. “
Ecuador is tied with the Netherlands at the top of the organization with 4 points, with Senegal one point behind.
Alfaro insists there is no prospect of his team betting on a draw.
He said: “We cannot simply replace our taste for play and our essence. We’re not just thinking about a draw.
“I told my players that if we just tried to tie, we wouldn’t make it. We will have to be protagonists. That’s our taste in play. “
Senegal wants to win in order to have any hope of progress. There is a situation where a draw would be enough if the Netherlands suffered an unlikely defeat to already eliminated hosts Qatar, but coach Aliou Cissé is not counting on it.
The former Birmingham and Portsmouth midfielder said: “For us there is no other option, we have to play our best to see and win.
“I hope he (Valencia) is not there, he is one of the players of the tournament and Ecuador is a wonderful team.
“The purpose is to do like Morocco, which we congratulate for a victory very against Belgium. This can be a source of inspiration for us because it will be imperative to win.
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