WORLD CUP OPENER: The Ultra previews Sunday’s World Cup opener between hosts Qatar v Ecuador including a recommended BETDAQ bet.
QATAR v ECUADOR
4pm After years of debate, the winter World Cup in Qatar begins on Sunday. Despite all the issues in the lead up to the tournament, it’s going to be a cracking month on BETDAQ Betting Exchange. There has clearly been tonnes of issues off the pitch, especially building the stadiums, however it’s also interesting to see the performance level of teams on the pitch. We’ve had a hectic run with domestic leagues trying to squeeze in as many fixtures as possible, and then we also haven’t had much time for sides to prepare. One wonders if we’ll get any major shocks in the Group stage?
When you think we had Premier League, Serie A, Bundesliga and in Spain we had Copa del Rey games on Sunday. Players will probably only get to Qatar Tuesday and then the tournament starts Sunday – it really isn’t a lot of time to prepare. It’s almost like it’s the same window for an International break, except this is the biggest tournament of them all! I think we’ve had a lot of debate around these factors heading into the tournament, but once the action starts on pitch there will be new talking points. I’m sure that’s what FIFA are hoping for anyway!
We start the tournament with Qatar v Ecuador and you have to say it’s not the most glamorous start! If this wasn’t the opening fixture I don’t think we’ve have that much interesting in it – we have two low profile teams here, with Qatar here because they are hosts obviously. Ecuador come into the game as solid favourites but they aren’t trading odds on. They are currently 2.22 at the time of writing, and I’m sure they will be a popular bet at those odds.
Football fans from Europe won’t really know much about these sides because we don’t see them often. Qatar most likely wouldn’t be at the World Cup if they weren’t hosting – they have a very experienced side but there’s no getting away from the fact that they are limited. Ecuador have their fourth World Cup this century, and they have been very solid in Conmebol qualifying. The age profile this time around is quite young, but they do have talent. I can see why they aren’t odds on to win the opening fixture, but they should have too much class for this Qatar side should the occasion not get to them.
Ecuador come through a tough qualification process but you have to give them credit against the likes of Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay. Peru, Colombia and Chile are no mugs either and they finished ahead of them. Obviously Brazil and Uruguay lead the way, but Ecuador had a the best goal difference after them, despite finishing two points behind Uruguay. It is very hard to get a read on Qatar. Because they were hosting, they have been playing friendlies at a pretty low level.
They managed a 1-1 draw with the Republic of Ireland in March, but then Ireland have been playing at a very low standard over the last few years. They don’t seem to score many goals, and I would expect them to sit back here and try to defend. That brings the goal markets into view, because Under 2.5 goals is going to be a popular bet too but that will likely start in the 1.5’s as everyone expects a quiet game. Both Teams Not To Score is more appealing at 1.8 or bigger because I would expect Qatar don’t create much in front of goal. When you compare the qualification process from Ecuador then there is only one winner here for me to start the tournament. There’s just a huge gulf in class between the sides here, and I do expect this young Ecuador to handle the occasion well enough to beat an average Qatar side. Despite all the criticism of the tournament, it is interesting to see how goes!
The Ultra Says:
Three points win Ecuador to beat Qatar at 2.22 with BETDAQ BETTING EXCHANGE.
You can view all markets here -> https://betdaq.biz/QatEdu
