World Cup 2022: The Long Wait is Almost Over

Qatar vs Ecuador

After weeks, nay months, of build-up and speculation the time for talking is coming to an end folks; the 2022 World Cup 2022 is here and Qatar will face Ecuador in the opener.

The hosts will proudly launch the greatest show on earth and hope for a result against a tough opponent, and a win for either will give them a decent chance to progress. Group A favourites, the Netherlands, will be looking to shed their underachiever tag and the early World Cup 2022 betting odds reckon the Oranje will win this group with AFCON winner Senegal pushing for the second spot.

So I would say a draw in this opener is not ideal for either team’s ambition… so let’s hope for a winning start!

Talking Points

What can we expect from Qatar?

The Al Bayt Stadium will be packed on Sunday and global television figures will break records again, but does anyone really expect to see the best World Cup 2022 highlights when Qatar face Ecuador? Maybe not, but that isn’t what the curtain raiser is all about. The first game is often a little cagy and the feverish excitement tends to come three or four weeks later.

But Qatar wants to put on a good show and the football world is waiting to be entertained.

The man in the Qatari hot seat is Felix Sanchez who has been in the job since 2017, but he has worked in the principality since 2006 when he left his job as a Barcelona youth coach to join the Aspire Academy, and he led his team to the Asian Cup title in 2019. The Qatari squad is made up of players from the principality’s top league and many from champions Al Sadd, including 29 year old left back Abdelkarim Hassan, who has 130 caps for his country, and captain Hasan Al Haydos who has scored 36 goals in 169 internationals. The 31 year old will start up front alongside clubmate Akram Afif, who has bagged 26 from 89 games playing out wide on the left or as a second striker.

Victories over Albania, Panama, and Guatemala recently have brought Qatar into the tournament on a winning run. But recent defeats to a useful Canada side and Croatia U23s tell us where Qatar stands. But the opening ceremony will be grand and, even though this is a match between two rank outsiders, Ecuador at 44^th in the FIFA World Rankings and Qatar at 50^th, the eyes of the world will be watching this groundbreaking global event.

Valencia’s last stand

At 33 years of age Ecuador talisman, Enner Valencia is probably at his last World Cup, but he is still the man most likely to win the game for his country. He’s scored 35 goals in 74 appearances and 32 in 71 for his current club Fenerbahce. West Ham fans will know the forward, who can play on the wing or as centre forward, as he dazzled on the flanks scoring eight goals in 54 appearances for the Premier League club.

Other players to look out for are Brighton and Hove Albion’s highly rated 24 year old defender, Pervis Estupinan, who signed for the Seagulls from Villarreal last summer, while Augsburg’s 27 year old star, Carlos Gruezo, is a powerful presence in a defensive midfield role.

History

Qatar is a relatively new country in world football, but they won the Asian Cup in 2019 and in 2021 participated in the CONCACAF Gold Cup.

This is Ecuador’s fourth appearance at the World Cup finals, their best performance coming in 2006 when they reached the Round of 16 and they were Copa America quarter-finalists in 2021.

In terms of recent form, Ecuador are unbeaten in seven games while Qatar have won the last five. The Round of 16 is a distant dream for these two teams but when they cross the white line on Sunday they will both believe they can earn a priceless win.

Betting Tip

The hosts are at odds of 3.10 to open their campaign with a win, while the draw is at 3.00 and Ecuador at 2.40.

Ecuador put in a brilliant effort to finish fourth in the South American Qualification Table, seeing off heavyweights Colombia and Chile and joining Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay at the top table.

So these are no mugs!

Take a look at Ecuador’s last six games which have yielded two goals in total, four goalless draws and 1-0 victories over Nigeria and Cape Verde. For an alternative bet,

0-1 goals is at SBOTOP odds of 2.32, and I think the South Americans will edge it.

 

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