Tomás Yelmini
The World Cup is just around the corner, and the national teams are already preparing for the big event that soccer fans look forward to every four years. Today, at JefeBet, we present you with the teams that make this group, which includes the host country as well as Ecuador, Senegal, and the Netherlands, as well as all of the Group A predictions, information, and odds so that you can understand what these teams can offer.
All odds shown are courtesy of DraftKings.
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Group A Predictions, Odds, and Betting Preview for the 2022 FIFA World Cup Qatar
The group that integrates the home team is always fun to watch because it usually has some surprises in store. The Netherlands has some advantage in terms of individual hierarchy and the collective level shown in recent times, although Senegal can give them a tough fight for the first place.
Ecuador’s response to this top-tier demand will be unknown, whereas Qatar will have the full backing of its fans and the duty, as a local team, to have a successful season.
Qatar
- FIFA Ranking Position: 50
- How did they get to the World Cup? They qualified automatically as the host country.
- Previous World Cup participations: 0 (this will be their first World Cup)
- Odds to win the group: +1400
- Odds to qualify for the round of 16: +500
The Qatari team will surely be looking for a good showing as the host team and in their first World Cup, but not much is expected of them. In their recent preparation matches, they have gotten positive results, albeit against teams that aren’t too demanding. It’s also important to recall the 2–2 tie with Chile. From then on, they defeated three Central American teams: Guatemala, Honduras and Panama, and they won their last ”serious” competition, the 2019 AFC Asian Cup, where they were crowned champions after winning all seven of their matches. In the final, they left behind difficult opponents such as South Korea and Japan, as well as other teams from the confederation. In 2021, they finished third in the FIFA Arab Cup, which was won by Algeria. Another noteworthy fact is that Catalan Félix Sánchez Bas has been their coach for the last five years.
Ecuador
- FIFA Ranking Position: 44
- How did they get to the World Cup? 4th position overall
- Previous World Cup participations: 3
- Odds to win the group: +500
- Odds to qualify for the round of 16: +100
They competed in their first World Cup in 2002, and their bestresult was reaching the round of 16 in 2006. In 2010, they were also in the group stage. This time, they qualified, leaving a superb impression thanks to the leadership of Argentine Gustavo Alfaro, who has been in command since 2020.
Outside the qualifiers, they played the last edition of the 2021 Copa América, held in Brazil, where they were eliminated by Argentina in the quarterfinals by a score of 3-0.
For the first time, they have a good base of players who are currently playing in the main European leagues: Piero Hincapié (Bayer Leverkusen), Pervis Estupiñán, Jeremy Sarmiento and Moisés Caicedo (Brighton) and Jackson Porozo (Troyes), among others.
Senegal
- FIFA Ranking Position: 18
- ¿Cómo llegó al Mundial?: 1ª place in group H
- Previous World Cup participations: 2
- Odds to win the group: +350
- Odds to qualify for the round of 16: -145
This will be the third appearance for a team that surprised everyone in their first World Cup finals (Korea/Japan 2002) by reaching the quarterfinals. They returned to compete in Russia 2018, but were eventually eliminated in the group stage.
They are the most powerful team in their continent and the results are there for all to see: not only did they finish the qualifiers undefeated (5 wins and a draw), but they also won the Africa Cup after beating Egypt in the final.
Sadio Mané, the multi-time Liverpool and now Bayern Munich champion, sustained a right knee injury 11 days before the World Cup and will be absent from the tournament, which will surely be disappointing to their veteran coach Aliou Cissé. While Mané is irreplaceable in the coach’s initial lineup, he knows that he has the support of the team’s other key players, such as Edouard Mendy and Kalidou Koulibaly (Chelsea), Idrissa Gueye (Everton), Abdou Diallo (Leipzig) and Bouna Sarr (Bayern Munich), among others.
Netherlands
- FIFA Ranking Position: 8
- How did they get to the World Cup?: 1st place in group G
- Previous World Cup participations: 11
- Odds to win the group: -225
- Odds to qualify for the round of 16: -900
The Netherlands will be certainly longing to win a World Cup, as they have been finalists on three occasions: in 1974, 1978, and 2010.
Following the disappointment of failing to qualify for Russia 2018, they enter in Qatar in top form, having won their qualifying group from start to finish. Moreover, they have a 15-match unbeaten record, with the previous defeat coming at the European Championship in June 2021 against the Czech Republic.
Their best asset is having top defenders such as Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool), Nathan Aké (Manchester City), Matthijs de Ligt (Bayern Munich) and Stefan fe Vrij (Inter). With the great Louis Van Gaal on the bench, they have the potential to go far.
JefeBet Prediction
The Netherlands have an advantage over the rest in terms of the level of players, and in conjunction with a coach as experienced and wise as Van Gaal. However, Senegal will not make it easy for them and will fight until the end for the coveted first place.
At JefeBet we bet on the Dutch as group winners, and the Senegalese as second place, confirming their participation in the round of 16 representing Group A of the Qatar 2022 World Cup.
Group winner: The Netherlands
Runner-up: Senegal
