The vital role Brighton's three Ecuador stars will play at the 2022 World Cup

Moises Caicedo is also another important figure in the national team, with the promising midfielder expected to drop into the backline when Ecuador are in possession

Moises Caicedo, Pervis Estupiñan and Jeremy Sarmiento have been selected as part of Ecuador’s 26-man-squad for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

The trio were announced as part Gustavo Alfaro’s squad, with less than 7 days to go until the most prestigious football tournament begins in the Middle East.

Ecuador will feature in the opening game of the competition, facing the tournament hosts in the Al Bayt Stadium on Sunday (November 20).

The South American outfit are in Group A alongside Qatar, Senegal and Louis Van Gaal’s Netherlands and are currently ranked 19th in the bookies World Cup winners odds, at a price of 279/1.

Brighton’s Estupiñan, who has 28 caps for his national side, play a major on the left-flank in Alfaro’s system

La Tri qualified for the tournament in the last available automatic space from the CONMEBOL qualifying section, finishing behind Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay after securing 26 points from their 18 matches.

Having not made it to the previous tournament in Russia and a disastrous group-stage exit from the 2019 Copa America, Ecuadorian football was in crisis for the beginning of the 2022 qualifying campaign.

Several leadership changes were made in the country's football association, leading to former Manchester United Jordi Cruyff leaving his post as national team head coach without overseeing a single game in July 2020.

The Argentinian Alfaro’s appointment surprised many fans and pundits alike, as the 60-year-old had no past connection to Ecuadorian football, but so far his reign has been a successful one.

Jeremy Sarmiento has so far won nine caps and could be used effectively from the bench if Alfaro’s side are needing a goal in the final stages of any of their group games.

Under Alfaro, Ecuador have predominantly set up in a 4-2-3-1 formation, defending deep and breaking quickly through their full-backs, who are pushed high and wide when the team have the ball.

Brighton’s Estupiñan, who has 28 caps for his national side, play a major on the left-flank in Alfaro’s system, carrying the ball forward and creating opportunities from crossing positions, whilst also utilising his mobility to drop back in quickly when his side lose possession.

Estupiñan’s Albion teammate Moises Caicedo is also another important figure in the national team, with the promising midfielder expected to drop into the backline when Ecuador are in possession, allowing players like Estupiñan, winger Gonzalo Plata and experienced forward Enner Valencia to advance high up the pitch.

Alfaro has shown a lot of faith in the country’s youth development, with an average squad age of 25 being the youngest team to qualify from South America.

Ecuador were South American U20 champions in 2019, and came third in that year's World Cup at the same level, with four of those players selected for the finals in Qatar.

Caicedo’s former club Independiente del Valle’s youth work has become a global reference, with around half the national team squad having some previous contact with the current Copa Sudamericana champions (South America’s equivalent to the Europa League).

Ecuador's new young, counter-attacking team brought them instant success, defeating Uruguay 3-2 and dismantling Colombia 6-1 in the early rounds of qualifying, laying down the groundwork for the first finals appearance in eight years.

After drawing 1-1 with Brazil earlier this year, Brazil coach Tite claimed that Ecuador could be one of the surprise teams of the tournament.

However, one of Ecuador's major weaknesses is their ability to score goals, especially from open play, having only scored two goals in their last five friendlies.

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They did however only concede one, with a clear priority on defensive shape and getting men behind the ball in order to be successful in games.

In qualifying, La Tri had the most shots from set pieces (70), the highest XG from set pieces (7.57) and 35% (8 goals) of their goals coming from dead ball situations.

Forwards Michael Estrada and all-time leading goal scorer Enner Valencia have been struggling for form in recent times, which could mean the final Brighton squad member Sarmiento could play a major role in Qatar this winter.

The exciting young forward has so far won nine caps and could be used effectively from the bench if Alfaro’s side are needing a goal in the final stages of any of their group games.

Ecuador take on Qatar at 4pm on Sunday, November 19.