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Qatar will face Senegal in match day 2 of the FIFA World Cup 2022. Both teams are fresh off the defeat in each of their opening matches. The host Qatar was stunned by Ecuador with two goals in the first match of this tournament while their upcoming opponent, Senegal also conceded the exact amount of goals against the Netherlands.

Senegal having failed to secure a single point against the Netherlands might be in quite a hurry for this game as Qatar to them is relatively an easy medium to secure their chances for getting a place in the knockouts. Qatar on the other hand is still looking for its first-ever win at the FIFA World Cup.

Both teams know slipping up in this game means almost a certain goodbye to the tournament. Between the two, Senegal has clearly come across as a competitive team as seen from their prior performance against the Netherlands.

Qatar vs Senegal; How Interesting will the Match to Watch?

Senegal dominates possession and levels up their aggression a bit more when they are up against weaker opponents. It is something they did against their continental rivals of weak stature in their previous matches. And coach Aliou Cisse is certain to demand the same from his players against Qatar.

Senegal’s playing style very well may remain the one that they showed during AFCON preceding this tournament; sitting deep and hitting their opponent on the break with the help of their blazing attacking lineup. However, with Qatar, they may relax their defense a bit and send extra force in the mid to attack.

Qatar vs Senegal: Our Prediction; Senegal May Just Win The Match

Against the Netherlands, who had quite an impressive run during the European qualifiers for the World Cup 2022, Senegal remained adamant and even more threatening than the Netherlands; the African sides registered 4 shots on target vs the Dutch’s three.

They also had more shots inside the box than Louis van Gaal’s team. In fact, in terms of the xG battle, Senegal was the winner with 0.9 to 0.7. The only missing piece of their puzzle to win the game was a quality finisher, a haunting reminder of their star man Sadio Mane’s absence.

Against Senegal, Qatar is expected to see a similar or even a little worse fate than they faced against Ecuador. Worth noting is Qatar is the only team for Senegal that looks relatively easy to have goal difference advantage and the African sides know well enough what importance the GD holds.

The Lions Of Teranga had to say goodbye to the 2018 World Cup from the group stage on the basis of fair plan points despite having the same points as their then-group opponent Japan. The Asian team advanced to the knockouts instead of them after going through all the tiebreakers.

Predicted Scoreline: Qatar 0-3 Senegal 

Why Qatar Might Take At Least A Point Against Senegal?

Over the last six months or so, Qatar has adapted itself to guarding its area in the low block. Against, Ecuador while they conceded two, their first was via a penalty. Another strength of this middle eastern team is that their team is the most experienced in terms of squad continuity. The country has been going on with almost exact lineups for a year or so. As for their attacking ability, Qatar did record one missed chance against Ecuador as well.

Qatar vs Senegal Prediction By Numbers

The numerical from bet 365 gives a notable 5/1 (6.00) odds to Qatar to win their clash against Senegal. This presumably is in consideration of the fact that the Al Ennabi is playing on the home soil.  The African sides, however, are favorites by 8/13 (1.62) while a draw is given the fractional likelihood of 11/4 (3.75).

Senegal’s forward, Boulaye Dia, who has scored six in 14 matches this season, is the most preferred to kick off the scoresheet at 9/2 (5.50). The next conceivable scorer,  Famara Diedhiou is also from Senegal and has received the odds of 5/1 (6.00). He scored 10 goals in just 25 matches for his national side. Similar plausibility has been provided to his teammate Ismaila Sarr.

From Qatar, Almoez Ali is the highest-priced player to breach the back of Senegal at 11/1 (12.00).