World Cup 2022 is finally upon us and Group A contenders Qatar will be desperate to put on a show both on and off the field as they host the first Arab World Cup.
But Felix Sanchez’s squad face a fight to avoid bowing out early after being pitted against the Netherlands, Senegal and Ecuador in a cosmopolitan Group A.
Only once in the history of the World Cup has a host nation failed to reach the knockout stages, with South Africa coming up short in 2010.
But the bookies fancy a repeat this year with Highbet making Qatar 14/25 hot favourites to finish bottom of the section.
They certainly lack the quality of their group rivals but the Qataris have been preparing their squad ever since being awarded the finals and could spring a few shocks with home advantage.
Qatar
No manager will know his players better at these finals than Qatar’s Sanchez. The former Barcelona youth coach has been in the gulf nation for the last nine years, taking charge of the Under-19s and then the Under-23s before becoming coach of the senior squad.
That means he has been with the players on every step of their journey and it’s rare to see a nation take such a long-term approach. Qatar have been rewarded for their patience with Sanchez leading them to Asian Cup glory in 2019, beating Japan 3-1 in the showpiece.
They also acquitted themselves well as guests at the Copa America that year and blazed a trail to the semi-finals of last year’s CONCACAF Gold Cup before being edged out by the USA. That suggests Qatar will be no pushovers.
Sanchez also has a deadly striker in Sudan-born Almoez Ali who has averaged a goal every other game at the international level and finished top scorer at the Gold Cup.
Netherlands
The Dutch will be desperate to make up for lost time after missing out on qualification for the last World Cup in Russia when they could only finish third in their group.
There was never any danger of that happening this time as Louis van Gaal’s side lost just one of their 10 games to top their section.
The veteran coach took over after Frank de Boer was axed following a disappointing exit to the Czech Republic in the last 16 of Euro 2020.
Van Gaal led the Netherlands to a third-place finish at their last World Cup in 2014 and now has a talented squad capable of another successful campaign.
They possess some of the best defenders and midfielders in Europe but the lack of a top-class centre-forward might come back to haunt them.
Senegal
The African champions head to Qatar desperate to make an impact on the global stage after underachieving at the World Cup since their big breakthrough 20 years ago.
After blazing a trail to the quarter-finals in 2002, Senegal failed to qualify for three finals in a row and then crashed out in the group stage at Russia 2018.
But they now have a squad capable of making an impact again and underlined their quality last year by beating Egypt on penalties to win the Africa Cup of Nations.
The injury picked up by Bayern Munich star Sadio Mane is a crushing blow for Senegal but they still have enough firepower to stand a chance of reaching the knockout stages.
Ecuador
Gustavo Alfaro’s side impressed in South American qualifying as they finished above the likes of Chile, Colombia and Peru to seal automatic qualification in fourth place.
Ecuador did it by playing some thrilling football, with the highlight of their campaign a memorable 6-1 thrashing of Colombia in Quito.
Michael Estrada was the star of the show with six goals in those qualifiers but there’s pace and power throughout the side, with Moises Caicedo and Pervis Estupinan showing their quality in the Premier League with Brighton.
Ecuador’s best performance at a World Cup was reaching the last 16 in 2006 and they will be confident of getting out of this group if they hit top form.
Group A Betting Tips
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