Will the Netherlands easily secure qualification, or will Qatar pull off a major upset?
The Netherlands and Qatar are on either side of the Group A table. Despite their draw against Ecuador in the 2nd round, the Dutch sit comfortably in first place. Qatar on the other hand lost both their games and became the first team to be eliminated from the tournament.
What was a bigger surprise for many than their result against Ecuador, was how easily the Netherlands were dominated by their South American opponents. They will be looking to make a statement against Qatar while securing qualification. History favours the Dutch against Asian opponents (100% win record), but they can’t let their guard down against a side with nothing to lose and risk missing out on the Ro16.
It is an understatement to say that the Qatar side is disappointed with their early elimination. They’re the first hosts since South Africa to not make it past the group stage. However, they will be hoping to emulate the 2010 hosts, by beating a European giant in their final game and ending on a high note.
Netherlands XI (3-4-1-2): Noppert; Ake, Van Dijk, De Ligt; Blind, De Jong, Berghuis, Dumfries; Gakpo; Bergwijn, Janssen
Qatar XI (5-3-2): Al Sheeb; Homam, Hassan, Khoukhi, Bassam, Pedro; Abdulaziz, Boudiaf, Al Haydos; Afif, Almoez
The Netherlands are expected to qualify for the Round of 16 stage which begins on 3rd December. If they top Group A they will face either face USA or Iran depending on who comes 2nd in Group B. In case they are runners-up, they will most likely face Group B’s expected winners England.
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