Qatar vs Ecuador Predictions | Betting Tips, Line-Ups & Odds (World Cup 2022)
- Written by David Bet
The first fixture of the highly-anticipated 2022 World Cup takes place in front of a sell-out crowd of 60,000 at the Al Bayt Stadium on Sunday 20th November, as host nation Qatar lock welcome Ecuador in Group A. Who will win the opening game of the 2022 FIFA World Cup? This post contains our Qatar vs Ecuador predictions , a complete betting preview with expert tips, probable line-ups, team news, how to watch the match on TV, best odds and sign-up offers!
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How to watch Qatar v Ecuador
Qatar v Ecuador will take place on Sunday 20th November 2022. The match will kick off at 4pm.
The Al Bayt Stadium will play host.
The BBC will exclusively broadcast the opening game on BBC One and BBC iPlayer. You can watch the action via BBC iPlayer or the BBC Sport website/app. This is a free service, provided that you have a TV licence.
Qatar vs Ecuador Betting Preview
Qatar will be hopeful of making a good account of themselves as they look to avoid becoming just the second host nation to exit at the group stages after South Africa back in 2010. Since October they played four friendlies in anticipation of this tournament, winning each of them. They beat Guatemala (2-0), Honduras (1-0), Panama (2-1) and Albania (0-1). As a result, they have lost just once in 9 outings this year - a 2-0 defeat at the hands of Canada.
Ecuador secured automatic qualification by finishing 4th - behind Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay - within a very strong South American qualifying group. They recorded seven victories, five draws and six defeats from 18 qualifying matches and boasted the second best offense of the CONMEBOL area with 27 goals netted. Gustavo Alfaro's men have remarkably recorded six clean sheets from six games since the start of June. Anyway, they have only scored two goals and recorded four goalless draws in the process. The most recent stalemate was against Iraq last Saturday. Prior to that, they drew against Japan and Saudi Arabia.
Best Odds
UK betting sites have installed Qatar as 5/2 underdogs (best odds at Unibet) to make a winning start on their own turf. Ecuador are the 7/5 favourites with 10bet, while the draw is priced at 21/10 (with Bet365), so the bookies are expecting a tight clash at Al Bayt Stadium.
Probable Line-Ups
Qatar (5-2-1-2): Al-Sheeb; Miguel, Al-Wari, Salman, Hassan, Ahmed; Hatem, Boudiaf; Al-Haydos; Ali, Afif
Almoez Ali is the star of the show for Qatar. He has scored 42 goals in 85 games for his country and will lead the line on Sunday. He is likely to be partnered in a two-man strikeforce by Akram Afif, while Ahmed Alaaeldin is the only doubt after he came off in the 26th minute against Albania with an unspecified injury. A five-man backline ought to be marshalled by 130-cap international Abdelkarim Hassan, while captain Hassan Al-Haydos is in line to further extend his record as Qatar’s most-capped player as he looks to make his 170th appearance.
Ecuador (4-3-3): Dominguez; Preciado, Torres, Hincapie, Estupinan; Gruezo, Caicedo, Cifuentes; Estrada, Valencia, Ibarra
Ecuador have lost one of its best players, Byron Castillo, because of an injury. Former West Ham and Everton striker Enner Valencia, now at Fenerbahce in Turkey, will spearhead the attack, flanked by Romario Ibarra and Michael Estrada. At right back, Robert Arboleda is not 100% fit and could be replaced by Angelo Preciado. Brighton's Moises Caicedo will anchor the midfield, while his club team-mate Pervis Estupinan will start at left back. Felix Torres and Piero Hincapiè will form the central pair in defense.
Qatar v Ecuador Predictions
Qatar have cobbled together a pretty strong team, which features several players born in other Middle Eastern and African countries. They are unbeaten in five and have won each of their last four outings with three clean sheets picked up along the way.
Ecuador's recent record is not as good as Qatar's one, but La Tri have faced stronger opposition - including Nigeria, Mexico and Japan.
We expect a low scoring affair, with a slight preference for Ecuador. Anyway, the hosts of the World Cup have never lost the opening game and that record may continue here with a draw.
The correct score could be a 1-1 or a goalless draw.
Throughout our portal you will find our best bets and match previews that include over/under tips, first goalscorer tips, anytime goalscorer tips, both teams to score (BTTS) tips, and much more...
The 2022 World Cup is the football season's showpiece and there is no shortage of top online betting sites offering free bets or promo codes to bet on this clash. Plus, we have collected all the free bets no deposit here, so you can start betting on your favorite sports with no risks attached!
