The World Cup is finally here, and the opening game sees hosts Qatar take on Ecuador. George Gamble previews the game, selecting his best bet.
Football betting tips: Qatar v Ecuador
2.5pts Both Teams to Score 'No' at 3/4 (BetVictor)
The host nation has not lost the opening match in any of the previous four World Cup campaigns, with three of those nations securing victory.
Qatar are outsiders in this clash though, with Ecuador proving a tough nut to crack.
Whilst the South Americans deserve plenty of credit for going unbeaten across their last seven games, they have only managed to win two and have seen five draws.
Just four goals have been produced across those seven matches and Ecuador have scored four of those. They will be hoping that their defensive approach can help them grind out some key results.
This is unlikely to be a very high scoring game and the market agrees as the best price available for Under 2.5 Goals is just 8/15 at the time of writing.
However, Ecuador have kept clean sheets in six successive matches and their ability to defend as a tight and compact unit could see goal-scoring opportunities become a rarity. They will also come into this one with some confidence after losing just one of their last seven outings in the qualifying rounds and that run included two draws against Argentina and Brazil.
A positive start here is a must for both sides considering the Netherlands and Senegal are both expected to seal their spots in the knockout phase of this competition. But more importantly, both will feel that it’s just as important to not lose the opener and this should lead to a fairly cagey and tense matchup.
Ecuador don’t score too many goals but they hardly concede either. Under 2.5 goals is not backable at the current price but the 3/4 available on BOTH TEAMS TO SCORE 'NO' makes plenty of appeal when you consider that neither one of these sides are prolific in front of goal.
Qatar v Ecuador best bets and score prediction
- 2.5pts Both Teams to Score 'No' at 3/4 (BetVictor)
Score prediction: Qatar 0-1 Ecuador (Sky Bet odds: 5/1)
Odds correct at 1030 GMT (17/11/22)
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