Qatar Vs Ecuador: In-Depth Preview, Predictions And Betting Odds For The 2022 World Cup Opener

Qatar vs Ecuador
World Cup 2022
Date: Sunday, 20 November 2022
Kick-off at 17:00 UK/ 18:00 CET
Venue: Al Bayt Stadium (Al Khor).
Important Links : Live stream, Head to Head, Wallpaper

Qatar will be looking for their home advantage when they face Ecuador in the opening game of the FIFA 2022 World Cup.

Qatar have qualified for the World Cup 2022, thanks to hosting rights. Ecuador is back after eight years away and will be aiming to reach the knockout phase after failing to do so in 2 out of their last 3 attempts. This will be their second meeting after Qatar won 4-3 in an international friendly in 2018.

The Qatar national football team is a result of years of work. They built their squad by bringing in players from around the world, through Aspire Academy, to form a unit that can compete against the best teams in the world.

This time last year, they had achieved their first ever victory in the 2019 Asian Cup. There, they went on to crush every opponent in front of them. The team managed by Spanish head-coach Felix Sanchez scored 19 goals and conceded just once.

But it’s too late now, reality check has come a knocking – the time when they went to the Copa America in the same year, and finished bottom of their group earning 1 point from three games.

Their performances, however, often fell short. They were often second best when they came up against similarly ranked teams.

Ecuador qualified for the World Cup ahead of Chile, Colombia and Peru in the South American zone – which is surprising to many. It’s also surprising that their squad averages just under 26 years of age.

They managed to get a draw against Brazil and Argentina in the final match days of the qualifiers, but they still lost one game across all competitions. Still, they have a bad habit of drawing too many games, which is why the number of stalemates during that period was 10.

A lot of Qatar’s points come from victories at their home turf. This is going to make it exceptionally tough for the tricolors to earn at least a draw there in 2022. To add insult to injury, they have gone on a dry spell since their qualifiers and only managed to score one goal in five friendlies.

Qatar vs Ecuador Prediction

This is going to be a hot match with both teams in need of three points to put themselves in the mix for knockout stage.

As mentioned in the analysis, the Ecuadorian team is strong, up-and-coming in world football, and difficult to beat. They recently tied with Argentina and Brazil, making them a contender for the World Cup title. This is why we’re predicting a narrow win for El Tri in their first game of the tournament and they should get enough chances to end their old goal drought against a new Qatari defense.

The Ecuadorian attacker has netted 13 goals from the 11 appearances he’s made in the Turkish Super Lig and scored all three of his country’s goals in their last appearance at the World Cup. With that kind of form, it seems likely he’ll score anytime.

Qatar vs Ecuador Betting Tips