Qatar vs. Ecuador - Betting tips, predictions, and odds
The long-awaited FIFA World Cup will kick off this weekend when the hosts Qatar welcome Ecuador in the opening game of the tournament at Al Bayt Stadium. Here you can read the best Qatar vs. Ecuador betting tips and predictions.
H2H, form, and stats
These inter-continental rivals have met only once so far. It was a friendly match played in Doha four years ago when Qatar won 4-3. Ali Almoez scored a brace, while Akram Afif and Hasan Al Haydos also found the back of the net for the hosts. Enner Valencia bagged a couple of goals for the Ecuadorians, while Jose Cevallos set the final score.
Qatar participated in numerous friendly games to prepare for this World Cup as they qualified directly as hosts and didn't have to play qualifiers. The Maroons are unbeaten in the previous five games and won each of the last four. They played two games in November, defeating Panama 2-1 and Albania 1-0. Qatar allowed only one goal in those four victories.
Ecuador, on the other hand, finished the qualifying phase in 4th place in South America, behind Brazil, Argentina, and Uruguay. The Tricolors didn't win in the final four matches of the qualifiers but lost only one of the last 11 games overall. Interestingly, four of the past five games ended without goals, while Ecuador didn't concede a single goal in each of the last six.
Injuries and squad news
Qatar’s head coach Félix Sánchez has a lot of experienced players in his 26-man squad for the World Cup. Even five individuals have 100+ caps for the national team, including captain Hassan Al-Haydos, who is the all-time most-capped player with 169 appearances.
Almoez Ali, who leads this generation with 42 goals, is looking to score at this tournament and become Qatar’s top goalscorer in the history of this nation. Akram Afif, Karim Boudiaf, Abdulaziz Hatem, Abdelkarim Hassan, and Boualem Khoukhi are also players to watch, not only in this game against Ecuador but also at this tournament.
Ecuador’s head coach Gustavo Alfaro is relying on the captain and top goalscorer Enner Valencia to lead his team at the World Cup. Valencia has 35 goals to his name, while the rest of the squad has 39! This is only to give you a clear picture of how important Valencia is for this country.
Unlike Qatar players, who all play in the domestic league, the Ecuadorians are playing in the USA, Mexico, Europe, and South America. Alongside Valencia, Moisés Caicedo and Pervis Estupiñán, who both play for Brighton in the English Premier League, will attract the most interest.
Qatar - Ecuador: Betting predictions and odds
Even though Qatar is a host nation, Ecuador has more experience playing at the World Cup. The bookmakers are giving an advantage to Ecuador, so if you think they will open the tournament with a win, you can back them at 2.34 odds. Qatar to win is 3.35, while the odds on a draw are 3.20. Regarding goals, Over 2.5 goals at 2.56 and Under 2.5 goals at 1.64 are the most popular bets.
Our best tip for Qatar vs. Ecuador game
Although these teams produced even seven goals in their only H2H encounter, we expect to see a lot less interesting affair here. Both teams will be scared of losing the opening match of the World Cup, so don't be surprised to see a scoreless draw.
After all, Ecuador is a specialist for bore draws of late, but even if we see some goals here, we don’t think the rivals will combine for more than two. Given the low odds on Under 2.5 goals, we’re backing a draw.
Qatar - Ecuador: Where to watch? Date, hour, and TV schedule
- FIFA World Cup
- Venue: Al Bayt Stadium (Al Khor)
- Sunday, November 20, 2022
- 5 PM CET
To check the full TV schedule visit https://www.protipster.com/football-live-stream.
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