How we arw betting Sunday’s World Cup opening matchup between Qatar and Ecuador.
tournaments is just as much an art as it is a science. The data is pretty noisy because there’s a lot of roster turnover, meaningless matches, and teams play just a few times a month, so it’s hard to rely solely on statistical data when it comes to breaking down contests between two teams. DeFodi Images via Getty Images
For one thing, every player on Qatar’s roster has been in a tournament-specific training camp for the last six months. So while virtually every other player in this competition will have been playing for their club team since the late summer and fatigue could absolutely be an issue, Qatar’s players have been gearing up toward this match with Ecuador since May.
Whether or not that perceived advantage is enough to overcome a wide talent gap — Qatar is the 94th-ranked team in the Action Network’s Power Ratings, while Ecuador is 29th — remains to be seen. In fact, FIFA already moved the entire competition up a day to accommodate Qatar for this match. The hosts wanted to be the only game on the Opening Day of the tournament, so the organizers bumped this match up from Nov. 21 to Nov. 20, meaning any Ecuador fan traveling to the Gulf had to re-organize their arrangements.
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