World Cup Group A Odds, Predictions, and Best Bet

The World Cup gets underway with Qatar and Ecuador playing in Group A. The Netherlands are the favorites, but Sadio Mane's injury could be a problem for Senegal. Qatar are making their World cup debut. Ecuador are a young team with a lot of potential.

Netherlands are favorites to win Group A at the World Cup. Van Gaal's team has won 11 of his first 15 games without defeat. The Dutch finished third in 2014. Virgil van Dijk, Frenkie de Jong and Memphis Depay are the key players. They are expected to play a 3-4-3 formation.

Denzel Dumfries is an exciting player for the Dutch. He plays as a wing-back but can also play as an attacking midfielder.

Sadio Mane is injured and unlikely to play for Senegal. Senegal won the African Cup of Nations last year. Coach Aliou Cisse captained Senegal to a shock win over France at the 2002 World Cup. Senegal are favourites to win the group. They need to beat Chelsea keeper Edouard Mendy and draw two games to qualify.

Abdou Diallo is a key figure in Senegal's defense.

Ecuador are playing in their fifth World Cup. They finished fourth in CONMEBOL qualifying. Gustavo Alfaro's team is built to soak up pressure and burn opponents with counter-attacking raids. Enner Valencia has a good World cup track record, netting three times in the 2014 tournament. Felix Torres and Piero Hincapie are key figures in center of defense. Pervis Estupiñán has caught the eye at Brighton.

Moises Caicedo is the midfield engine that powers Ecuador. He will play against the Netherlands’ de Jong and a physical Senegal midfield.

Qatar are the hosts of the World Cup. They have played friendlies against Bulgaria, Chile and Canada in the lead-up to the tournament. Their coach Felix Sanchez has been in charge since 2017. The Annabi won the 2019 Asian Cup and have had a longer preparation than most countries. Many of their players play for Al Sadd.

Almoez Ali was the top scorer at the 2021 Gold Cup. He will need to be clinical with the limited chances that Qatar creates. His link-up play with playmaker Akram Afif will be key to the hosts' chances.

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Ecuador is the youngest team to reach a World Cup and is playing in Group A. They are playing Qatar in their opening game and the Netherlands in the second. Their final game is against Senegal. Ecuador is a good value bet at DraftKings. They will probably make it to the last 16. The team has already played against Argentina and Brazil.