In the match of the third round of the group stage of the World Cup, the national teams of the Netherlands and Qatar will meet. Will the host country of the World Cup be able to present a sensation? We'll figure it out.
Netherlands
The Netherlands has four points in the asset after two rounds, ahead of Ecuador in additional indicators. It is enough for the Orange to draw to guarantee their entry into the playoffs.
The Dutch beat Senegal in the first round (2-0), and in the second match they drew with Ecuador (1-1). In the match against the South American national team, van Gaal's wards struck only two shots on goal, this is their anti-record. It is also worth noting that van Gaal has not lost at the World Cup as a head coach for nine matches.
Two of the three goals for the team in this tournament were scored by Cody Gakpo (PSV), who is actively wooed to the top clubs in Europe.
Qatar
Qatar became the first host country of the World Cup to lose two matches in the group stage. For the round before the end, the national team lost all chances of reaching the playoffs, losing to Ecuador (0:2) and Senegal (0:3).
All the players of the Qatari national team play in the local championship, and they do not have much experience of playing in the international arena.
Perhaps Qatar burned out, so the players had a very intensive preparation for the home World Cup. This year alone they have played 17 friendly matches, in which they have suffered only two defeats.
Statistics and figures
- The Netherlands is the clear favorite of the match according to bookmakers;
- Qatar has lost all chances of reaching the playoffs;
- The Netherlands only needs a victory to stay on the first line in the standings;
- The Netherlands last lost 17 matches ago, in June last year in the 1/8 finals of Euro 2020 in a match with the Czech national team (0:2).
Forecast
I think that the Netherlands will win, so as not to depend on other teams in the fight for first place, but I think there will be few goals, because after all, Qatar should not completely fall into the dirt face.
