Qatar v Ecuador: Hosts have history on their side

Qatar v Ecuador betting tips, odds and preview

Qatar will hope that home advantage allows them to defy the World Cup odds when they face Ecuador in the opening match of the winter tournament.

Much has been made of the decision to hold the World Cup at this time of year but Qatar will now try and justify their presence by proving competitive on football’s biggest stage.

Sunday’s Group A match kicks off at 4pm at the Al Bayt Stadium in Al Khor and is live on the BBC.

Value with hosts

Qatar may not have much footballing pedigree but they have history on their side when they kick things off on Sunday.

The honour of playing in the opening game traditionally went to the hosts and they were unbeaten before a change saw the defending champions play the opener from 1974 to 2002.

It was switched back to the hosts in 2006 and the host nation have continued to remain unbeaten in the opening World Cup match with Germany (2006), Brazil (2014) and Russia (2018) enjoying comfortable wins while South Africa drew 1-1 with Mexico in 2010.

Our football history is full of unforgettable moments and memorable achievements ⚽️

And now we move, day by day, closer and closer with great anticipation, towards #AlAnnabi’s World Cup debut 🇶🇦#AllForAlAnnabi#ForTheLoveOfQatarpic.twitter.com/x1ygEDgmg9

— Qatar Football Association (@QFA_EN) November 3, 2022

Qatar head into the game as the underdogs at 12/5, while Ecuador winning odds of 13/10 are available on the South Americans.

A draw is unlikely to be of much use to either team with tougher tests against Group A rivals the Netherlands and Senegal to come, although the hosts may be happy to get a point on the board on their World Cup debut.

Based on World Cup history, Qatar at 5/4 in the ‘draw no bet’ market seems good value for Qatar v Ecuador betting tips.

Goals the percentage play

The World Cup betting suggests a cagey contest in Sunday’s opener, with under 2.5 goals priced at 8/15 and over available at 7/5.

Nerves could be a factor but this is surely the game that both teams will believe they have the best chance of winning, with dropped points on Sunday leaving them up against it to reach the last 16.

Ecuador provided plenty of entertainment during their qualifying campaign and were joint-second for goals scored in South America along with Argentina on 27.

The 19 goals conceded was significantly worse than Argentina’s eight though and Qatar have shown they have the firepower to trouble teams on the international stage.

In last year’s CONCACAF Gold Cup, they were the top scorers during the group stage with nine goals in three matches after a 3-3 draw with Panama was followed by 4-0 and 2-0 wins against Grenada and Honduras respectively.

A 3-2 win against El Salvador was a thrilling quarter-final before their run ended with a 1-0 defeat against the United States in the semi-final in which they missed a penalty.

Neutrals will hope for plenty of entertainment on Sunday and we’re going for goals in our Qatar v Ecuador predictions, with both teams to score available at evens.

For bigger World Cup odds, both teams to score in the second half is worth considering at 11/4 given the pressure is on to make a winning start.