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When the World Cup begins in Qatar on Sunday, the attention of the entire globe will be on the country. The opening match of the celebrations will be between the host nation and Ecuador in Group A. Both teams will be looking to gain ground in a tough group that also features the Netherlands and Senegal.
As a result of their superior talent and track record against stronger opponents, the World Cup betting odds for 2022 have Ecuador pegged as the favorite in this matchup. The fact that no host nation has ever dropped their opening game in any of the tournament’s previous 18 versions could give Qatar a boost in front of their home crowd.
Picks
Qatar
By virtue of hosting the event, Qatar automatically became the favorite. However, they are not a great team, either. They are currently riding a four-game winning streak and are 50th in the FIFA world rankings. Last year, they advanced to the semifinals of the CONCACAF Gold Cup.
However, many of the Qatari players will find this to be a significant step up in the quality of competition. A 2-2 draw against a Chilean team who had failed their past 6 matches was one of their most recent friendlies. This team did not qualify for the tournament.
Ecuador
After finishing in fourth place in CONMEBOL qualifying, Ecuador qualified for the World Cup. After drawing 1-1 with Ecuador in a World Cup qualifier, Brazil’s manager Tite predicted that they will be a surprise team. In 18 qualifying games, Ecuador allowed just 19 goals while scoring 27 times and posting a 7–5–6 record.
Whether or whether they will score enough goals is the main concern for Ecuador. They aren’t giving up any goals, but they also aren’t scoring any.
They have only scored twice in those six games, with one of those goals coming against Cape Verde, and have played to three consecutive scoreless draws. Although Fenerbahce’s 33-year-old attacker Enner Valencia isn’t as good as he once was, he still has 12 goals in 11 games this season.
England
Gareth Southgate is leading England into the WorldCup22 on the heels of a shocking relegation from League A to League B in the UEFA Nations League. This came about as a result of three consecutive losses to Italy and Hungary.
This puts the Three Lions in dismal shape going into the World Cup, although they will want to improve on their semi-finals appearance from 2018.
Iran
Meanwhile, Iran is expecting to pull off a couple of upsets and go to the next round, despite playing in a tough group. They’re also dealing with a serious injury to a key offensive player, but their defense will give everyone issues.
The locker room in Iran is in disarray. After hearing objections from the national federation, the team has been obliged to defend the behavior of some players who backed women’s rights protests back home. After firing Dragan Skocic, the team waited until early September to bring back head coach Carlos Queiroz for a second spell.
Predictions
At this World Cup, which you can watch for free at our World Cup 2022 free livestream, Ecuador will be a tough opponent. It’s possible that this game will be the deciding factor in whether or not they advance out of the group stage ahead of a Senegal team that has been decimated by injuries. Due to their history of shakiness under duress, Qatar will have a hard time keeping up with Ecuador’s tempo and style of play.
Counterattacking is where Qatar shines, but Ecuador doesn’t provide many opportunities for it to happen. This makes it extremely challenging for the hosts to create even a single scoring opportunity. When the final buzzer sounds, put a bagel in front of Qatar’s name.
It’s doubtful that either England or Iran will take anything from their contest. Even if the final score only seems close, England is a heavy favorite to win. They have much too much talent to be forced to grind out a draw here, especially if Azmoun will not really play and Iran’s assault is more depleted without him.
Now that we’re all over with the picks and predictions, time to check on the best World Cup bet offers at Solarbet!