Qatar v USA betting tips: Qatar fear semi-final fatigue
Preview and odds for Thursday’s Gold Cup match
A berth in the final of the CONCACAF Gold Cup is at stake and we have scouted the odds in search of some potential Qatar v USA betting tips.
In the quarter-finals, invited guest nation Qatar defeated El Salvador while USA advanced after knocking out Jamaica and the pair meet on Thursday.
The semi-final clash, which takes place at the University of Phoenix Stadium, Arizona, is live on Premier Sports 1 and kicks off at 12.30am BST.
Qatar v USA match odds
Qatar have made the most of their invitation to play in the 2021 and 2023 CONCACAF Gold Cup.
They are one step away from reaching the final and are 13/5 to beat USA.
Felix Sanchez’s side raced into a 3-0 lead over El Salvador in their quarter-final, relying on the high-powered attack that got the team the top spot in Group D.
A brace from Almoez Ali which sandwiched an eighth-minute goal by Abdulaziz Hatem (pictured below) looked to be enough to beat the Catrachos.
However, two goals from Joaquin Rivas gave the AFC Asian Cup champions a nervy final 25 minutes but they eventually held on to win 3-2.
Qatar enter the semi-final on the back of seven wins from eight in all competitions.
They are 6/4 to score the semi-final’s first goal and 5/1 to win to nil.
In a repeat of the 2017 CONCACAF Gold Cup final, Matthew Hoppe scored his first international goal, an 83rd-minute header, as the United States beat Jamaica 1-0 to reach the semi-final.
USA are Evens to beat Qatar following their 14th straight success against CONCACAF opponents.
Hoppe, making his second international appearance, nodded home a cross from Cristian Roldan from just inside the six-yard box as the USA eliminated the 45th-ranked Reggae Boyz for the third straight Gold Cup.
In 2017, the USA defeated Jamaica 2-1 in the final and two years later they fell 3-1 in the semi-final.
This will be the 11th straight Gold Cup semi-final for the world-ranked number 20 United States.
Qatar v USA head-to-head
This will be the first meeting between the two teams.
Qatar have certainly been the most entertaining side to watch at the tournament, starting with a 3-3 draw with Panama followed by 4-0 and 2-0 wins over Grenada and Honduras respectively.
They have scored 18 goals in total in their last eight games in all competitions and are 5/2 to score two or more goals in the semi-final in the Qatar v USA betting tips.
Defensively, there is still some work to do as they continue their build-up as host nation for the 2022 World Cup next winter.
USA topped Group B with an unblemished record. The six-time Gold Cup winners are looking to regain their title, having lost it to Mexico in 2019.
They cruised through Group B with defeats of Haiti (1-0), Martinique (6-1) and Canada (1-0), the latter of which was their 38th Gold Cup group stage win, with one loss and four draws. The 90-minute draw odds are 11/5.
Team news
Christian Pulisic, Weston McKennie, Tyler Adams, Sergino Dest, Zack Steffen and Josh Sargent are among the USA regulars who skipped the tournament to rest ahead of their respective European clubs’ pre-seasons.
Coach Gregg Berhalter has been using an inexperienced squad and against Jamaica he started just three players who see substantial playing time when first-choice players are on hand in Kellyn Acosta, Sebastian Lletget and Paul Arriola.
The USA have won three of their last four games by a single goal and it is 11/2 they win the semi-final 1-0.
Though Qatar have no injury concerns, coach Sanchez is worried about fatigue.
After the win over El Salvador, he said: “Unlike our opponent, who was on rest for four days, there were three days between our last match against Honduras and facing El Salvador and our rest days have been very few since we are at the end of the season.
“The players are tired and despite that we played a great match and everyone resisted this fatigue.”
The Qatar v USA betting tips odds are 10/1 for Qatar to be in front at half-time and fail to win.
Key battles
This boils down to how well Qatar defend and whether their high-powered attack can breach a stingy USA defence.
Offensively, Qatar lean heavily on forward Almoez Ali, whose brace in the quarter-final took him to 34 goals in 66 international appearances.
He has scored a goal in four of Qatar’s last five matches and they will again rely on Ali to propel them to the final. Qatar are 13/2 to win but concede.
USA topped Group B with an unblemished record and after their quarter-final win goalkeeper Matt Turner now has three shutouts in four matches.
It is 6/4 the USA keep a clean sheet and 10/11 that both sides score in the Qatar v USA betting tips.
All odds and markets correct as of date of publication
