Undefeated Ecuador faces Colombia today in Barranquilla in World Cup qualifier game

Ecuador’s national football team goes on the road today to face Colombia with hopes of extending its unbeaten streak. The kick-off is at 3:30 this afternoon.

Ecuador’s star striker Enner Valencia.

Ecuador is coming off a lackluster 2-2 tie with Paraguay last Thursday in Quito while Colombia defeated Bolivia 3-2 in La Paz.

Gustavo Quinteros, Ecuador coach, says his team will need to play much better against Colombia than it did against Paraguay. “We had serious defensive lapses we need to overcome if we want to contend successfully,” he said, referring to the two easy goals the team yielded on Thursday.

“We must also overcome a hostile crowd in Barranquilla as well as the heat,” said Quinteros. Temperatures in the Caribbean city could be in the mid-30s C. (high 90s F.) by game time. “The heat is something we will need to manage and we will use our hot weather hydration protocols. It’s a problem that both sides will have to deal with,” he said.

On offense, the Tri-Color needs to improve its ball movement, according to the coach. Against Paraguay, Ecuador played most of the game in front of the Paraguay’s goal but missed two dozen shots, including three that bounced off the goal posts.

Ecuador has not won a football game in Colombia in 50 years.