![[EN VIVO] Emelec vs. Manta FC por la fecha 29 de la Liga Ecuabet | Campeonato Nacional | Deportes](https://www.mogazmasr.com/uploads/2026/09/08/emelec-manta-fd6925b6_800w.webp)
Emelec will have to face Manta FC without Ariel Mina after the defender failed to recover in time for the match on September 7. The absence leaves the Bombillo with one more problem to solve before kickoff at 19h00.
The timing matters because Emelec needed a victory to move out of the hexagonal for permanence, and Mina was part of the defensive structure the team had counted on. With him sidelined, the club had to find an alternative to cover his place against Manta FC.
That search comes on a day when Emelec is already short-handed. Ignacio Guerrico and Pedro Ortiz were also ruled out with injuries, which narrows the options even further for a side trying to recover ground and get away from a difficult sporting situation.
The missing piece is not only Mina’s name on the team sheet but who takes over his role. Emelec must make that call quickly, because a match it needed to win is arriving with two other injury absences already built into the plan.
For Emelec, the issue now is simple: adjust fast enough to stay competitive against Manta FC while carrying three important absences into a game that could shape its path out of the hexagonal for permanence.
