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The opening group of the World Cup will feature the first Arab nation to host the event, Qatar. Group A is an interesting mix of teams.
Qatar has no history on soccer’s biggest stage, while the Netherlands have come close to winning the event several times. Here’s a look at what to keep an eye on for Group A.
Netherlands World Cup Preview 2022
Odds to Win Group A: -225
The Netherlands are the class of this group. During the European qualifiers, the Netherlands won its group by scoring 33 goals in 10 matches.
In goal, veteran Jasper Cillessen will provide a solid backstop. The Netherlands defense is loaded and physical, with Virgil Van Dijk, Daley Blind and Stefan de Vrij in the lineup.
Memphis Depay leads the Netherlands attack with 12 goals. Bettors believe the Netherlands will be a tough out, as they are +250 to be eliminated in the quarterfinal.
Senegal World Cup Preview 2022
Odds to Win Group A: +400
Senegal is coming off winning its first-ever Africa Cup of Nations crown in 2021 and will be motivated following the last World Cup.
The Lions of Terranga were eliminated in the group stage in the last World Cup after losing a Fair Play tiebreaker with Japan. Senegal will run much of its offense through Sadio Mane, who has been scoring frequently for Bayern Munich.
Senegal also has a strong goalkeeper in Edouard Mendy.
Ecuador World Cup Preview 2022
Odds to Win Group A: Ecuador +600
Ecuador was the fourth-place qualifying team out of South America. What made La Tri so exciting during qualifying was how they were able to put up goals.
Ecuador tied with Argentina for the second-most goals, putting up 27. Michael Estrada led Ecuador with six goals during qualifying, while Enner Valencia added four.
Bringing the attack in this group will be a difficult task against a few teams that feature physical, imposing defenses. If La Tri can open the games up, they may be a dark horse to qualify for the knockout stages.
Qatar World Cup Preview 2022
Odds to Win Group A: +1300
Qatar has been hustling to try and put together a competent national team since it found out it was hosting the event. What Qatar has seen is some surprising success. Qatar finished in third place at the CONCACAF Tournament, being eliminated by the United States 1-0 in the semifinals en route to a third-place finish.
Qatar also won the 2019 Asian Cup to inspire confidence. However, Qatar’s attack still needs some variety. Almoez Alia and Akram Afif combined to score 18 goals throughout the team’s qualifying matches.
What will make things difficult for Qatar is that the other three teams in the group won’t want to give away three points and will press for a victory.
Qatar won’t be this tournament’s Cinderella and is likely to fall out early.
Best Bet: Netherlands to Win Group A (-225)
