The hosts Qatar will face Ecuador today in the inauguration match of the FIFA World Cup 2022.The match will be held in Al Bayt Stadium at 16:00 UTC time.
Qatar will look to take on their home advantage and Ecuador will be looking to beat their lesser rivals Qatar today.Both sides have an equal chance of winning the opening match.
TEAM NEWS
Qatar
Felix Sanchez Bas is likely to field a five-man backline and it will be led by veteran campaigner Abdelkarim Hassan.
They have only one injury concern in Ahmed Alaaeldin, who was replaced against Albania last week with an unspecified injury.
Ecuador
Pervis Estupinan and Moises Caicedo should also start following their impressive form in the Premier League.
Ecuador have no injury concerns heading into the fixture.
TALKING POINTS
– Qatar and Ecuador have met three times previously, all matches taking place in Qatar – their head-to-head record is perfectly balanced with one win each and one draw (6 goals each). Their last encounter saw Qatar win 4-3 in a friendly in October 2018.
– Qatar are taking part in their first ever FIFA World Cup, whilst also being first nation from the Arab world to host the tournament. They’ll attempt to avoid becoming only the second hosts to be knocked out in the first round of a FIFA World Cup, after South Africa in 2010
– The last four opening matches of a FIFA World Cup have produced a total of 17 goals, at an average of 4.25 per game. This is the first time the tournament is kicking off on a Sunday since the 1982 edition, with Belgium beating holders Argentina 1-0 in Barcelona.
– Senegal are the last FIFA World Cup debutant to win their first ever match at the tournament, beating defending champions France 1-0 in the 2002 edition.
– Qatar have won all three of their previous matches played at Al Bayt Stadium, with an aggregate scoreline of 9-0.
H2H
Qatar: 1 Win
Ecuador: 1 Win
Draws: 1
RECENT FORM
Qatar: WWWWW
Ecuador: DWDDD
PREDICTED LINEUPS
Qatar: Sheeb; Khoukhi, Rawi, A Hassan; Ro-Ro, Hatem, Haydos, Boudiaf, Amin; Afif, Ali.
Ecuador: Dominguez; Arboleda, Torres, Hincapie, Estupinan; Mendez, Caicedo; Plata, Cifuentes, Ibarra; Valencia.
Predicted Score: Qatar 0 – 2 Ecuador.
