Qatar v Ecuador
Kick Off: 16:00
Competition: World Cup 2022
Watch Live: BBC One
The opening game of the biggest sporting event in the world, hosts Qatar kick off the inaugural World Cup in the Middle East, as they welcome Ecuador to the Al Bayt Stadium.
Coincidentally, both countries have had to deal with their own controversy heading into this opening game. Qatar of course, have found themselves under the microscope of the world media with the alleged discrepancies in the hosting of the competition, while Ecuador can count themselves fortunate to be allowed to participate. The South Americans were found to have fielded an ineligible player in qualifying, but have beaten FIFA rulings and will participate in the World Cup for the fourth time. With Senegal and Netherlands the other teams in Group A, both Qatar and Ecuador will hope to throw their name in the hat for that coveted second place.
Ecuador booked their ticket to Qatar on the back of a solid defense unit that has seen them not concede a goal in their last six games before the start of this tournament. Gustavo Alfaro’s Ecuador side plays possession based football while optimizing their pace and speed with the wingers and fullbacks. We are likely to see this as we should come out to dominate the 90 minutes against Qatar.
The hosts are expected to at least be competitive in the group stage outings, given the heavy investment into domestic footballing development over the past 15 years. As a matter of fact, most of the team is coming out of the Aspire Academy, a prestigious academy that gathered and formed a generation of Qatari footballers, especially for this event. Indeed, to allow the Qatar National Team to be fully prepared ahead of the World Cup, in accordance with the Qatar Football Association (QFA), all of the Qatari internationals were relieved from their club duties since April, which allowed them to play a lot of games together throughout the world.
Only one defeat in their last 17 games for Qatar means they come into this historic game as well prepared as they can be. No game has finished 0-0 in the opening game of a World Cup since 1978, and with a solid defensive unit in the form of Gustavo Alfaro’s Ecuador, expect the South Americans to take all three points, but not without a spirited display from the hosts.
Selection: 1 of 4
Prediction: Piero Hincapie to attempt 50+ Passes
Odds: 1.50
Hincapie has averaged 57.8 passes per game in the Champions League for Leverkusen this season. The Ecuadorian is comfortable in possession and enjoys keeping the ball moving with short passes.
Qatar predominantly use a 5-3-2 formation and opt to allow the opponents to have the ball in their own half. averaged 34.88 passes per defensive action. This is extremely high; by comparison, Bournemouth have the highest average PPDA in the Premier League with 18.58. Hincapie should be afforded a lot of space to knock the ball around as the home side invites Ecuador to attack.
The defender has started 9 of Ecuador’s last 10 matches. The only match he missed was the nation’s last game against Iraq .This was because his club side, Leverkusen played on the same day. He can play as both a left back and a centre back. He has featured as a CB in all 9 of those matches for Ecuador, which lends itself nicely to passes.
Selection: 2 of 4
Prediction: Moez Ali to have 1+ Shot on Target
Odds: 1.44
At only 26 years old, Al Moez Ali is already the top scorer of all time for Qatar, with 42 goals in 85 games. He is a quick striker, with a very good finishing ability, and is capable of scoring insane goals. He is very used to his role as a finisher, with his fellow teammate Akram Afif in charge of creating opportunities.
He has scored at least once in the last two, meaning that if the hosts are to get off to a dream start in front of their nation, Ali is the most likely candidate to break the deadlock.
Selection: 3 of 4
Prediction: Abdelkarim Hassan to make 1+ Foul
Odds: 1.36
Abdelkarim Hassan has shown in the past that he can get heated quickly, especially if he doesn’t agree with a referee’s decision. He is also well known to contest a lot of referee decisions, putting him and his team in jeopardy on multiple occasions. Also, despite his strength and athleticism being an asset on the offensive side, it can quickly become a liability, especially in situations where he is not placed correctly, which happens very often. Given these insights, I think that it is very likely that Abdelkarim Hassan gets cautioned at least once by referee Daniele Orsato on Sunday night.
Selection: 4 of 4
Prediction: Angelo Preciado to make 1+ Foul
Odds: 1.36
The right back for Ecuador finds himself in a rather strange situation. With Byron Castillo out due to Ecuador not picking him for the World Cup to avoid any problems, Angelo Preciado (2nd string RB) will get the start during the entire tournament. Since the Castillo verdict came out a few days ago, Angelo gets the sudden green light and will look to play most of Ecuador’s minutes as he is the only true right defender in Ecuador’s disposal. Because of this, and Angelo’s inconsistent form at KRC Genk in the Jupiler Pro League, I believe he will be the weak side for Ecuador. I can see him committing 1 or more fouls easily.
Written by an Andy verified content writer
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