World Cup: Qatar vs Ecuador – Match preview and betting tip

Ace Football previews the World Cup round 1 match between Qatar and Ecuador and offers team stats, betting tips and the latest odds.

The spotlight is on Qatar and Ecuador when they meet in the opening round of the World Cup. The upcoming group stage match kicks off at Al Bayt Stadium on Sunday.

We are entering the first round of the World Cup group stage with both Qatar and Ecuador hoping this in only the first of many matches in the coming month. Qatar sit as number 50 in the FIFA world ranking, while Ecuador enter their match on Sunday as number 44.

Qatar rank as hefty favourites with the bookmakers to finish bottom of the group. They face a daunting prospect and qualifying for the next round would be a massive upset. It has the look of a close battle to get through the group but with their qualifying campaign in mind Ecuador could pose a threat to most opponents.

Position in the World Cup standings: Qatar vs Ecuador

Ecuador hope to have margins of their side, when they open their campaign this coming Sunday at Al Bayt Stadium. Three points in the tournament opener goes a long way in their quest to reach the next encounter, not least in a tight encounter like this seems to be.

Team form: Qatar vs Ecuador

Qatar Form

Their last three matches saw Qatar drawing 2-2 with Chile, before taking out Guatemala by 2-0, and Albania by 0-1. Qatar claimed five wins in their last 10 matches across all tournaments, while also drawing four along the way. They endured one defeat in this run.

Ecuador Form

In their previous three matches, Ecuador drew 0-0 with Saudi Arabia, 0-0 with Japan and 0-0 with Iraq. Ecuador claimed a modest two wins from their previous 10 matches across all tournaments. They drew seven of the games, whilst losing one.

Betting stats and facts for Qatar and Ecuador

Here are some facts that might be useful for placing bets on the upcoming game between Qatar and Ecuador. The facts are based on the statistics from the last couple of matches that these teams played across all tournaments.

Players in form: Qatar vs Ecuador

As the new World Cup campaign has recently started, we are still a bit in the dark, as to which striker will dominate the top scorer table for Qatar and Ecuador this season. However, there might be some interesting prospects, when looking at the list of players who are in the best form at the moment.

Betting markets: Qatar vs Ecuador

Full-time result

In their last 10 matches across all tournaments Qatar won five times, drew four and lost one time. Ecuador claimed two wins, drew seven times and lost one in their last 10 games across all tournaments. Qatar won their last 4 matches on the bounce. In their previous 7 outings Ecuador remained undefeated.

Both teams to score

Qatar scored the first goal of the match in four games from a possible ten. Ecuador got the opening goal in five out of their last ten away games. Ecuador have not conceded a goal in 6 consecutive games. Ecuador managed the first goal of the game in only three of those 10 previous games played. Meanwhile, Qatar were first on target in six of their last 10 outings.

Total goals

Qatar saw over 2.5 goals in four of their last ten matches across all tournaments, as they scored an average of 1.3 goals during this run. Over 2.5 goals happened in one of the last ten outings for Ecuador, who managed to score 0.6 times in those matches. Ecuador pulled off a clean sheet in four World Cup matches in a row.

Betting prediction: Qatar vs Ecuador

To sum up, the upcoming match between Qatar and Ecuador seems to be a good betting opportunity. Considering the above statements, we have come up with a betting prediction for this World Cup game.