Qatar, the home country of the 2022 World Cup, is getting ready for its second group match. The country will take on Africa’s champion Senegal. Both teams have yet to score any points in their opening match. The teams need to work hard if they want to reach the next round. In this preview, we discuss the latest team news. We also discuss the bookmakers’ favourites and their quotes. Finally, we give you our prediction and a betting tip.
Qatar World Cup 2022 – Latest Team News & Statistics
For the first time in history, Qatar played a World Cup match. It was the big unknown in the tournament. The home country hoped to get good results after a long preparation, but in vain. The host country lost the opening match 2-0 to Ecuador.
Already within three minutes, Qatar was awarded a goal. It would have been the fastest goal ever in an opening match of a World Cup, but Qatar was saved by VAR: offside. However, another goal fell not much later. After half an hour, Qatar were already trailing 2-0. Felix Sanchez’s team failed to mount a good attack. Qatar therefore made a powerless impression against a stronger Ecuador.
Qatar failed to register a shot on goal, therefore chances are that changes will be made in the line-up. Goalkeeper Saad Al Sheeb in particular had a difficult evening: he made a few sloppy mistakes and received a yellow card early in the match. Still, a swap with Meshaal Barsham, the second goalkeeper, seems unlikely. Besides Al Sheeb, Akram Afif, Karim Boudiaf and Almoez Ali were also shown a yellow card. If they receive a second yellow card, they will be suspended for the next match.
Senegal World Cup 2022 – Latest Team News & Statistics
Senegal enjoyed a successful period early this year. The African team managed to win the Africa Cup. A handsome achievement that put the country in the history books. The first match at the World Cup was therefore disappointing.
Senegal played in the first World Cup match against the Netherlands. On paper, these countries are the favourites of Group A. In the match against the Netherlands, things were evenly matched for a long time. Senegal showed to be a physically strong and footballing handy team. Talisman Sadio Mané was missing because of his injury, and will have to miss the World Cup. As a result, the attacking ability was not optimal. Despite this, the team still made life difficult for its opponents at times. However, the effort was not rewarded, as two late goals by the Oranje defeated the African champion 2-0.
Besides the loss, coach Aliou Cissé has other concerns on his mind. Cheikou Kouyate twisted his ankle and was carried off on a stretcher. The national coach later confirmed that the midfielder needs further checks. This most likely means Kouyate will not be fit for the game against Qatar. Abdou Diallo is also still a doubt after he had to leave the field early with an injury.
Qatar – Senegal previous encounters
Qatar and Senegal have never played an international against each other before. Senegal managed to make it to the World Cup twice before. The first time was 20 years ago, in 2002. The team then managed to finish second in the group stage, facing France, Denmark and Uruguay. In the following round, the country faced Sweden. Senegal won 2-1, but was thrown out of the tournament by Turkey in the quarterfinals. The second World Cup appearance was in Russia in 2018. There, the team did not progress beyond the group stage.
The last major tournament at which the Senegalese were in action was the Africa Cup. For the first time in history, the country managed to win the African tournament. The team faced Egypt in the final. After regular playing time and extension, the score was still tied; penalties had to decide. It was star player Sadio Mané who hit the decisive penalty kick. So Senegal has a fair amount of experience in major final tournaments.
For Qatar, it is slightly different: the country is at the World Cup for the first time this year. The last time Qatar was at a major football tournament was in 2019. The team then performed very well at the Asian Cup. The country exceeded expectations; after beating the United Arab Emirates, Iraq and Korea, among others, Qatar reached the final. Here, the team was 3-0 too strong for Japan. It was the first time Qatar finished the tournament as champions.
Qatar – Senegal, World Cup 2022: Betting Tip & Odds
Senegal is the country with more experience and better results at big tournaments like the World Cup. The Senegalese are therefore the bookmakers’ favourite. In their first World Cup match, both countries failed to score. Although Senegal lost, the team did create chances against the Netherlands. Qatar hardly scored a goal and do not have much attacking power. On paper, Senegal is the stronger team in this game. We expect the team to capitalise on its chances this time. Our betting tip is therefore: only Senegal scores. At bookmaker NetBet, that comes with a nice odds of 5/4.
- Tip: Only Senegal scores
- Odds: 5/4 at bookmaker NetBet
- Risk assessment: Medium
- Recommended stake: 5/10