BoyleSports | Qatar vs Ecuador Odds & Betting Preview

We made it, the World Cup is finally here! We have the Qatar vs Ecuador odds and betting preview for the tournament opener.

While this might not look like the most incredible match on paper there is still plenty to take interest in here as it is always fascinating to see the atmosphere as the host nation kick off their World Cup campaign.

The betting market also suggests that this game should be a close one so we could be in for an exciting start to this winter’s tournament. You can find all the stats and betting info that you need to know for this game in our preview below.

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Game Details

Matchup: Qatar vs Ecuador

Venue: Al Bayt Stadium

Kick-Off: 4 pm, Sunday Nov 20th

What Channel? RTE 2 for Irish viewers. UK viewers can catch the action on BBC One and iPlayer.

THE BETTING ODDS

Qatar’s Form

In the group betting market Qatar are the least fancied at odds of 12/1 to come out on top of Group A. Qatar, as the host nation, did not have to go through qualifying for this tournament as like all World Cup hosts, they were granted automatic qualification.

The last time this team played competitive international football they were quite impressive. At the 2021 FIFA Arab Cup, which Qatar hosted, they finished third place in that competition after being knocked out by Algeria in the semi-final. In 2019 Qatar won the AFC Asian Cup with a victory over Japan in the final.

Heading into this tournament Qatar have four wins, one draw and one loss in their last six games. Only one of these games came against a team also playing in this World Cup and that ended in a 2-0 loss against Canada.

Ecuador’s Form

This Ecuador team have been installed as third favourites to win Group A at odds of 5/1. Ecuador secured a spot in this FIFA World Cup having finished fourth in South American qualifying with seven wins, five draws and six losses from their 18 qualifying matches.

In their most recent six games Ecuador have four draws and two wins. The best of these results was there 0-0 draw with fellow World Cup team Mexico.

How The Teams Match Up

Qatar Attack vs Ecuador Defence

Almoez Ali is the main man for Qatar and he will be their biggest goal scoring threat in this game. Ali will likely be paired up with Akram Afif up front in a 3-5-2 formation. In recent international friendlies Qatar have been scoring at a decent rate with at least one goal in their last five games and two goals in three of those five.

While Qatar have been scoring against some weaker opponents they will probably struggle against a stout Ecuador defence. Ecuador have not conceded a goal in their last five games! That is an incredible stat really so Qatar will need to be very efficient with their chances in this game.

Ecuador Attack vs Qatar Defence

The star of this Ecuador team is Moisés Caicedo who plays his club football for Brighton in the Premier League. The 21-year-old is valued at a whopping €38m according to the Transfermarkt website.

Caicedo plays in the middle of the pitch and likes to operate from deeper so he should be a big part of launching defence into attack for this Ecuador team on Sunday. On his own up front for Ecuador will be Enner Valencia in what we can expect to be a 4-2-3-1 formation for the South Americans.

For as impressive as the Ecuadorians defensive record has been, their scoring form has been terrible. This team have only scored one goal in their last five games. Four of those games ended in 0-0 draws!

Best Bet

It is hard to separate these teams for this game. Both Ecuador and Qatar have been solid in defence but struggled to score against good opposition in recent games, so a low scoring game looks likely here.

History is on the side of the hosts Qatar as no World Cup host has lost their opening game. That makes half time/full time - Draw/Qatar look like a good value bet boosted from 6/1 to 13/2.

CLICK THE IMAGE BELOW FOR ALL OUR QATAR VS ECUADOR PRICE BOOSTS

Qatar vs Ecuador Goalscorer Betting Odds

In the goalscorer betting market Almoez Ali, as Qatar’s main man and goal scoring threat looks like good value to get the first in this game at 6/1.

Based on these teams scoring struggles you could also take a look at the 11/2 odds on no goalscorer which looks quite generous given these teams scoring records.

CLICK THE IMAGE BELOW FOR ALL OUR QATAR VS ECUADOR GOALSCORER ODDS