Qatar vs Ecuador
World Cup 2022
Date: Sunday, 20 November 2022
Kick-off at 17:00 UK/ 18:00 CET
Venue: Al Bayt Stadium (Al Khor).
At Al Bayt Stadium, the opening match of the World Cup group stage will feature Ecuador and host nation Qatar. The game will begin at 11 a.m. ET.
Qatar last played on the field in late September, therefore that’s when they last played in this match. It drew 2-2 with Chile and lost 2-0 against Canada.
From October 13 to November 9, it also participated in five friendlies, winning each one.
According to FIFA’s official rankings, Qatar is ranked 50th in the world. Every player from Qatar is a member of a team in the Qatar Stars League, with the majority of them playing for Al-Sadd.
Ecuador is now ranked number 44 in the world. In their most recent three games, they have drawn with Saudi Arabia, Iraq, and Japan.
The most notable few players for Ecuador are from LAFC and Brighton, among other clubs.
M Jose Cifuentes and F Moises Caicdeo should be the most significant players for Ecuador, so expect to hear their names mentioned frequently.
F Enner Valencia leads the country in goals scored with 35.
Qatar vs Ecuador Head to head :
- Qatar are making their first ever appearance at the World Cup, thanks to the direct qualification tickets for hosts.
- Ecuador returns to the big stage after an eight year absence and they will be keen to progress to the knockout phase after failing to do so in 2 of the previous 3 attempts.
- This will be only the second h2h meeting between the two sides after Qatar winning 4-3 in an international friendly in 2018.
Qatar vs Ecuador Prediction :
The two sides have been the subject of controversy leading up to the FIFA World Cup 2022 start.
According to recent claims, Qatar allegedly offered eight Ecuador players bribes in order for Ecuador to lose the match.
But given the current situation, such a recommendation may be completely off the mark. The match should be fiercely contested.
The most recent match between Qatar and Ecuador featured a lot of goals.
However, Gustavo Alfaro and his men enjoy losing games. At the end of regulation, there should be very little separating the two teams.
The visitors will score the game-winning goal to break the hearts of the home supporters, despite Qatar’s hopes for a fairytale World Cup debut.
Qatar 0-2 Ecuador
Qatar vs Ecuador Prediction Team News :
Ahead of this game, Qatar’s medical staff has already been hard at work because attacker Ahmed Alaaeldin, who was forced off against Albania last week after suffering an unspecified injury, was always expected to miss this one.
Ali, who is tied for the team lead in goals with 42, could team up with Akram Afif in a two-man attack, and the two will lead the charge for a Qatari team that is primarily defensive in nature.
Abdelkarim Hassan, an international with 130 caps, should control a five-man backline, and captain Hassan Al-Haydos, who is vying to replace Ali Asad, will aim for his 170th cap behind the strikers.
Byron Castillo, 24, left the field early in Ecuador’s final warm-up game due to a first-half injury, but he was actually the player who got caught up in the ineligibility controversy and was not included in the Tricolor’s 26-man squad.
As a result, even though Robert Arboleda has only recently recovered from an ankle fracture, one of Angelo Preciado or Robert Arboleda should play right back for the South Americans.
Moises Caicedo, Carlos Gruezo, and Jeremy Sarmiento were not involved against Iraq either; instead, they simply arrived after the game had ended.
The line will be led by all-time leading scorer Enner Valencia, while Gruezo has been training normally after recovering from a thigh injury.
Sarmiento will need a checkup for a minor muscular issue.
Qatar possible starting lineup:
Al-Sheeb; Miguel, Al-Wari, Salman, Hassan, Ahmed; Hatem, Boudiaf; Al-Haydos; Ali, Afif
Ecuador possible starting lineup:
Dominguez; Preciado, Torres, Hincapie, Estupinan; Gruezo, Caicedo, Cifuentes; Plata, Valencia, Ibarra
