Qatar vs Ecuador - 2022 World Cup Betting Guide

Qatar Team Info – How Big is the Home Advantage?

The main goal of the hosts will be to advance to the round of 16. In previous World Cups, the hosting nation has almost always advanced to the round of 16, if not further. The Qatari team not only have home advantage, but all the players in their team currently play in the Qatari Stars League. Their manager, Felix Sanchez, has been coaching the club since 2017. In 2019, he led the club to their first ever win in the AFC Asian Cup and led them to a third place finish in the Arab Cup.

Almoez Ali, their first choice striker, was instrumental in these tournaments. He currently has scored 39 times from 72 appearances for Qatar. Their captain, Hassan Al-Haydos is the most capped player in the history of the team, with 163 caps. In midfield they have Karim Boudiaf and Abdulraziz Hatem, who both have a lot of experience as well. Abdelkarim Hassan is their main defender, and in goal they have Saad Al Sheeb, both of whom play for Al-Sadd in the Qatar Stars League.

Ecuador Team Info – Lacking in Consistency

Ecuador will enter the 2022 World Cup with hopes of replicating their best run, in 2006, when they reached the round of 16. It will not be easy to do, especially as they had quite a shaky qualifying campaign in which they won 7 out of their 18 games. Their first match against Qatar will definitely be the match that determines which of the two lower ranking teams in the group will have a chance at surviving the group stage. Qatar may have the upper hand over Ecuador, having won the AFC Arab Cup in recent years, whilst Ecuador has never won a senior international competition. However, they have a higher ranked squad than Qatar.

Their striker, Enner Valencia, who is also the top goalscorer, has scored 35 goals in his 72 appearances. They also have Michael Estrada in their strikeforce, who scored 6 goals during the CONMEBOL qualifiers. In midfield, they have talented players such as Carlos Gruezo, Angel Mena, Romario Ibarra, and youngsters Jhegson Méndez, Gonzalo Plata, and Moisés Caicedo. In defence, they have Pervis Estupinan, Angelo Preciado, and Piero Hincapie, all of whom are in their mid-20s. In goal, they have their long-time goalkeeper Alexander Dominguez.

Qatar vs Ecuador Head-to-head

The two teams have played against each other before, only all of these games have been friendlies. They played against each other twice in 1996, with the first game ending 1-1, and second ending 2-1 to Ecuador. In 2018, the two teams played against each other and Qatar won 4-3.

Qatar vs Ecuador Betting Preview

The previous meeting of these two sides suggests that the first game of the competition will be a goal fest. Punters who want to dive straight in on the action can pick from a number of different types of bets available. Here are some of those options.

Win with Handicaps

There is not a gulf of difference between the two teams, Ecuador has more experience in World Cups and sit higher in the world rankings, whilst Qatar have home advantage. The odds on both teams will therefore be quite close, with Ecuador perhaps being slightly favoured. If you want to increase the odds, you can explore the asian handicap market. Here, you will be able to bet on either Ecuador or Qatar to win with a given handicap. Handicaps of -1.5, -2.5, and so on will require the team to win by at least 2 or 3 goals.

There is also a possibility to bet with -1, -2, where the team will need to win by at least 2 or 3 goals, but if they only score 1 or 2, that is, draw level with the handicap - then you will receive your money back. Handicaps of -1.25 and -1.75 are a mixture of the two. This means the bet will be split in two, with half the stake going on -1 and the other on -1.5, in the case of -1.25. -1.75 will split the bet into -1.5 and -2.

These are of course all negative handicaps, but you will find positive handicaps as well. These shorten the odds but in return they carry less risk.

Goalscoring Markets

There are also goalscoring markets, on whether a player will score during the game, if they will score the first goal of the game, if they will score the last goal of the game, and many more. For example, you may want to bet on Qatar’s in form striker, Almoez Ali to score at any point during the game, or on Enner Valencia to score the first goal of the game for Ecuador.

Over/Under Total Goals

Bearing in mind the two teams’ last meeting in 2018, it may be interesting to bet on how many goals will be scored during the match. In 2018, the match ended with 7 goals scored between Ecuador and Qatar, which will surely attract the attention of punters to the total goals market.

You will not need to specify exactly how many goals you think will be scored, but with this market you can define a range in which the total number of goals will fall. To place a bet, you will need to pick one of the numerous betting lines offered, such as 4.5, and then bet on whether you think the game will end with more or less than that amount of goals.

Double Chance and Draw No Bet

These are similar markets to the simple matchbets, but they can offer more cover. For double chance, you can bet on Qatar to win or the game will end in a draw, Ecuador to win or the game will end in a draw, or on Qatar to win or Ecuador to win. This will mean that if the game ends in one of the two covered outcomes, you will win.

With draw no bet, you will find that the odds are slightly higher, and you can only bet on Qatar to win or Ecuador to win. If the game ends in a draw, then regardless of which team you picked, the bet will be considered void and your stake will be returned. The odds will be slightly higher than the double chance, so you will be able to enjoy greater returns, but of course if the match ends in a draw then you will receive the exact money you bet back.

Many More Markets

You will find that there are masses of markets available for the game between Qatar and Ecuador, including bets that go into various specific details of the game.

There are many markets on goals scored in the game, for example, you can bet on whether both teams will score, which half will be the highest scoring, which of the two teams will be the first to score, which team will be the last to score, how many goals will be scored in the first half, how many goals will be scored in the second half, halftime/fulltime result, and other similar types of bets.

You can also find some combinations of bets, such as matchbet and both teams to score, halftime/fulltime result and total goals, matchbet and total goals, double chance and both teams to score, and many similar types of markets.

Whilst betting on the World Cup can be a thrilling experience, it is always important to remember not to spend more money than you can afford to lose. If you need more information on the subject, you can always turn to organisations such as gambleaware.co.uk