Is today! Qatar and Ecuador will play, this Sunday, at 1 pm (Brasília time), the opening game of the 22nd edition of the World Cup. The match will be at Al Bayt Stadium, in Al Khor, valid for Group A.
The only newcomer to this Cup, Qatar is going to the first World Cup with a clear mission: not to be the second host to fall in the group stage. The first was South Africa, in 2010. For that, getting a positive result in the opening match will be fundamental. Netherlands and Senegal are favorites to take the places in the key.
Qatar is led by Spanish coach Félix Sánchez. The coach bets on team integration. That’s because half of the 26 players are playing for the same club, Al-Sadd. Qatar and Saudi Arabia are the only teams that have all their players playing in their own country.
Ecuador, commanded by Gustavo Alfaro, is in its fourth participation in World Cups. In the previous three, it only managed to reach the round of 16 in 2006, when it was eliminated by England. The other Ecuadorian presences were in the 2002 and 2014 editions.
This is the youngest group to defend Ecuador in a World Cup, with an average age of 25.5 years. Goalkeeper Domínguez, who is vying for the starting spot with Hernán Galindez, striker Enner Valencia and midfielder Carlos Gruezo are the only remaining players from the 2014 squad.
SCORER AT ANY TIME: GOAL SCORED AT BOTH TIMES
With both teams having good scorers and an attacking style of play, the goal guess in both halves could be a good choice. With high odds, the prognosis is that there really are chances for both to score.
Platforms are paying 2.00 more in quotes. That is, if the guess is right, you can win more than twice what you bet.
In the last matches, both Qatar and Ecuador scored goals. In addition, neither team has a high-level defense, but they make up for it with strong attacks.
Thus, we can conclude that the trend is at least a tie with goals. Maybe even a more elastic score will happen in the opening game.
TOTAL GOALS: MORE THAN 2 GOALS
As we said above, it is possible that this match has a high number of goals. Analyzing the last game between the two teams, these predictions proved to be true, as it ended 4-3 for Qatar.
Now, in this case, it is worth saying that live betting can be the best option. They make it easier to read what’s happening on the field to better target your bets.
For example, if a goal between Qatar and Ecuador is scored in the first few minutes, it is a good indication that others will score during the match.
However, if you notice that the match is very “stuck” and tending to a 0-0, it will be better to analyze other predictions.
PREVIOUS CONFRONTS QATAR VS ECUADOR
In the last ten years, only one match between Qatar vs Ecuador has taken place. It was a friendly in 2018 with the South American team winning 4-3. Before that, the teams only faced each other in the 1990s, with results that did not impact the most recent games.
Already separately, the teams have an interesting history. Qatar won 4 of the last 6 matches, in addition to having suffered 1 loss and 1 draw. In other words, it was a favorable season for the selection.
Ecuador did not do so well, with only 2 wins in the last 6 games. In addition, they suffered from 3 draws and 1 defeat. That single loss came against Paraguay, while the two wins came against Venezuela and Chile.
