World Cup Group A: Dazzling Dutch look touch too strong
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World Cup Group A guide and odds
The 2022 World Cup has started and Ladbrokes have produced guides on all eight groups to put you in the picture for the tournament.
You can read all the latest on England and Wales as we provide odds and features on the two nations and also have the latest World Cup winner odds.
Our World Cup Group A guide covers Netherlands, Senegal, Ecuador and hosts Qatar as we take a look at all four nations, dark horses, players to watch and a prediction on where they will finish in the group.
Netherlands are 8/15 favourites to reach the knockout stage as group winners but let’s look at their prospects and those of their rivals.
Netherlands
The Dutch are back on the main stage after failing to qualify for Russia and things are looking rosy under Louis van Gaal, appointed head coach for a third time in August 2021.
Netherlands sealed top spot in their qualifying group with a 2-0 victory over Norway and stretched their unbeaten run to 15 games with a 1-0 victory against Belgium in September which secured their place at next year’s Nations League finals.
The Dutch are blessed in defence with the likes of Virgil van Dijk, Matthijs de Ligt, Manchester United new boy Tyrell Malacia and Denzel Dumfries, who is doubtful for the opening group game against Senegal having been forced off with an injury during Inter Milan’s clash with Atalanta.
But in attack they also have the joint-top scorer in qualifying in Memphis Depay, who struck 12 times including a hat-trick in a 6-1 rout of Turkey, although he will miss at least the first game with a hamstring problem.
Head coach: Louis van Gaal’s third spell in charge of the national team is proving a successful one, winning 11 of his 15 matches in an unbeaten run.
Players to watch: Depay’s goals would have made him an obvious candidate although his injury means he is going to have to work even harder to win the Golden Boot. However, there is quality running right through this Dutch team in which Frenkie de Jong will be pulling the strings in midfield.
Fixtures:
Senegal: Nov 21, 10.00, Al Thumama Stadium, Doha, ITV
Ecuador: Nov 25, 16.00, Khalifa International Stadium, Al Rayyan, ITV
Qatar: Nov 29, 15.00, Al Bayt Stadium, Al Khor, ITV
World Cup Group A winner odds: 8/15
World Cup odds: 12/1
Verdict: Group winners. England will meet the runners-up from Group A in the round of 16 should they top their pool so Gareth Southgate will be hoping for a successful Dutch campaign.
Senegal
The Africa Cup of Nations champions are appearing in only their third World Cup finals having reached the quarter-finals on their tournament debut in 2002.
They were 16 minutes away from making it to the knockout phase four years ago only to lose 1-0 to Colombia, becoming the first nation to go out on fair play points.
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Head coach Aliou Cisse will be optimistic about his side’s prospects of getting through the group having beaten Egypt on penalties in the third and final round just as they did when they won the African Cup of Nations in February.
Senegal have an excellent spine in Chelsea duo Edouard Mendy and Kalidou Koulibaly providing a firm foundation at the back, but their hopes of qualifying for the group stage suffered a massive blow this week when Bayern Munich star Sadio Mane was ruled out with a leg injury.
Head coach: Former PSG, Birmingham and Porsmouth player Aliou Cisse has been in charge of the national team since 2015 and has set his sights on making it through to the knockout stage, saying “the aim is to get out of this group”.
Players to watch: With Mane no longer in the picture, the Lions of Teranga will be pinning their hopes on Mendy keeping clean sheets.
Fixtures:
Netherlands: Nov 21, 10.00, Al Thumama Stadium, Doha, ITV
Qatar: Nov 25, 13.00, Al Thumama Stadium, Doha, BBC
Ecuador: Nov 29, 15.00, Khalifa International Stadium, Al Rayyan, ITV
World Cup Group A winner odds: 4/1
World Cup group qualifying odds: 10/11
World Cup odds: 80/1
Verdict: Senegal seem to be in a battle with Ecuador for the runners-up spot and we suspect the Africans will have the quality to reach the round of 16.
Ecuador
Ecuador’s place at the World Cup was only confirmed after appeals by Peru and Chile against Byron Castillo’s eligibility, on the grounds that he is Colombian, were rejected by the Court of Arbitration of Sport, although a false place of birth and age on his passport resulted in the South Americans being deducted three points for their next qualifying campaign.
Although they are appearing in the finals for the fourth time this century, they have only once made it to the knockout stage.
That came in Germany in 2006 when David Beckham’s free-kick gave England a 1-0 victory in the round of 16.
Ecuador qualified in fourth place, two points clear of Uruguay, and held Brazil and Argentina to draws at home, so they should not be underestimated.
Head coach: Despite his experience at club level, Gustavo Alfaro has never coached at a World Cup and he is livid that Ecuador’s opener against hosts Qatar has been brought forward by a day. Has put his faith in youth and is not afraid to change formations, although prefers a 4-4-2.
Players to watch: Michael Estrada, who played under Wayne Rooney at DC United on loan from Mexican club Toluca before joining Cruz Azul for another temporary stint, scored six goals in qualifying and will be one of Ecuador’s main threats. Ex-West Ham striker Enner Valencia is still going strong at the age of 32 , scoring 12 goals for Fenerbahce in all competitions. However, their star player is likely to be Brighton midfielder Moises Caicedo.
Fixtures:
Qatar: Nov 2o, 16.00, Al Bayt Stadium, Al Khor, BBC
Netherlands: Nov 25, 16.00, Khalifa International Stadium, Al Rayyan
Senegal: Nov 29, 15.00, Khalifa International Stadium, Al Rayyan, ITV
World Cup Group A winner odds: 4/1
World Cup group qualifying odds: 10/11
World Cup odds: 125/1
Verdict: Alfaro and his young squad may have to settle for third spot behind Senegal.
Qatar
Qatar did not have to qualify as tournament hosts as they prepare for their first appearance at the World Cup finals.
In the absence of competitive matches, Qatar have been concentrating on friendlies with limited success, losing 3-0, 4-0 and 4-0 to Portugal, Republic of Ireland and Serbia last autumn.
They subsequently enjoyed several wins against lesser nations, including successive victories against Guatemala, Honduras, Panama and Albania in their final four outings before the tournament gets under way.
They also drew 2-2 with Chile in Austria at the end of September but they will still do well to avoid finishing bottom of the group.
Head coach: Felix Sanchez has benefited from the Qatar Stars League being paused since September and enjoyed training camps in Vienna and Marbella, so his preparations could not have gone more smoothly. Sanchez guided Qatar to Asian Cup success in 2019 and helped them reach the semi-finals of the 2021 Gold Cup.
Players to watch: Al-Duhail captain Almoez Ali has scored 39 goals in 74 appearances for Qatar and is likely to be the main threat with Akram Afif, one of the best players in Asia, who has spent the last five seasons with Doha-based side Al Sadd and has 24 goals in 83 games for his country.
Fixtures:
Ecuador: Nov 20, 16.00, Al Bayt Stadium, Al Khor, BBC
Senegal: Nov 25, 13.00, Al Thumama Stadium, Doha, BBC
Netherlands: Nov 29, Al Bayt Stadium, Al Khor, ITV
World Cup Group A winner odds: 16/1
World Cup group qualifying odds: 7/2
World Cup odds: 250/1
Verdict: Qatar finished bottom of their 2018 World Cup qualifying third-round group and they will do extremely well to avoid propping up the table again.
All odds and markets correct as of date of publication
