Match Today: Netherlands vs Qatar 29-11-2022 Qatar World Cup 2022

The Netherlands and Qatar meet in the final match of the first round of the World Cup.

Qatar has the unenviable record of becoming the first host nation to be eliminated after the opening two rounds, losing to Ecuador and Senegal. The Netherlands are currently top of the group and just need to avoid defeat to advance to the knockout stages.

And he will qualify to the top of the group with a victory, provided that the match between Senegal and Ecuador ends in a draw. If the Netherlands and Ecuador had exactly the same score, the Dutch would top the group because they have a better fair play record unless they get more yellow and red cards, in which case Ecuador can overtake them in the highly unlikely event of a loss for the Netherlands, they can still qualify, provided Ecuador beat Senegal.

The Netherlands could have safely secured their qualification for the knockout stages in their final match with a win, but could not maintain their lead against Ecuador. They will be confident coming into this fixture as they have won their previous four World Cup matches against Asian sides, scoring 11 goals while conceding just one.

The Netherlands went on a 17-game unbeaten streak in all competitions with a record of 12 wins and five draws. The last time they tasted defeat was in June 2021 against the Czech Republic. They have only lost twice in their last 31 matches in all competitions.

The last time the Netherlands faced a host nation was in 2014, when they beat Brazil in the match for third place. Qatar will desperately try to avoid more unwanted records by becoming the first hosts to lose three matches in one tournament.

There was a lot of expectation from the hosts as they arrived in the Championship on the back of four consecutive victories

Qatar improved dramatically in the second half of their loss to Senegal, and their coach Felix Sanchez can name some names that helped turn the game around. Muhammed Muntari, having scored his first goal in the tournament, became the starting point as a reward.

Muez Ali is likely to join Muntari in the final third of the field, with the former looking to add to the 42 goals he has already scored for the national team. There will also be another start in deeper territory for captain Hassan Al Haidoos, who boasts an impressive record of 36 goals in 170 appearances for his country. The Netherlands have never lost to an Asian country in a World Cup.

They have scored two or more goals in six of their last eight matches. The Netherlands have kept clean sheets in three of their last four matches. The Orange have scored the opening goal in seven of their last eight matches. Qatar has never beaten a team ranked in the top ten of the FIFA rankings. The hosts have kept just one clean sheet in their last four matches.

Qatar will only play for pride and will want to at least do better for their home fans. Hopefully they can be more attacking because they looked good when they showed more attacking flair.

The Netherlands have everything to play for and will want a comprehensive win to secure top spot in the group. They could win and finish second if Ecuador wins by a wider margin or passes them in fair play.