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2022 World Cup: Qatar vs Ecuador Odds, Picks & Predictions (Group A)

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With the World Cup right around the corner, we're looking at the matchups to find our best bets for each.

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Qatar vs. Ecuador (Group A)

Kicking off the group stages of the 2022 World Cup, Qatar will face off with Ecuador. This match will occur in Group A at 11 AM EST at Al Bayt Stadium. It is nice that this match is one that we have to open the tournament; otherwise, it is unlikely that this would be a game that anyone tuned in for.

It will be nice to have some worldwide attention on this Ecuadorian squad, as they have professional players that are important pieces to teams around the globe. That said, they don’t come across as a threat to other teams to do anything other than steal a point from them. This is because they lack both creativity and elite skill on the front end to take them over the hump and to be able to go into tournaments aggressively and impress the casual fan. Qatar is pretty much the complete opposite of this. They have a few experienced players, who are used to being threats in their leagues domestically, but as a unit, they are built to win games against teams that are weaker defensively, and this match will not be one of those examples.

I do think that the experience level plays into the hands of the home side in terms of feeling like they have to perform out of their normal body of work for their fans, but I think this may allow them to sneak in a point on a 0-0 draw to start the tournament. It is hard to picture a ton of goals scored here, but that doesn’t leave me a ton of confidence in backing a side, especially considering that the Ecuadorian side is +140 and the home side of Qatar is +220. The draw is sitting at +200, which is probably the best bet of them all for the reasons listed above, and Qatar is happy to leave this match with a point in hand if the opportunity presents itself.

Let me make it clear by saying that this is not for a lack of talent by the Ecuadorian squad, but rather that the style that they have chosen to play in the matches leading up to this tournament is one that they try to suffocate their opponents to sleep, and then strike off of their opponent’s mistakes. Considering the 66.67% rate of scoreless draws in their World Cup qualifying, I am confident that the scoring in this game will be solely up to the Ecuadorians. This leads me to believe that there is good reason to bet UNDER 1.5 Goals at +150 or to play it a bit safer and take Under 2.5 at -220. Sure, it is a bit pricey, but based on the numbers, it is worth it! I would be very surprised if this match had more than one goal, but if I watched my units closely, I would consider waiting to get to the next match and maybe just sprinkle that no team scores in the first half. Those are always fun but are not bets that you can really research.

Bet: Under 1.5 goals (+150)

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