World Cup 2022 

Group A, Match 19- NED vs ECU

Preview

The second round of the group stage action of the World Cup 2022 is live and running as the Netherlands takes on Ecuador in Group A, Match 19. The match is scheduled at the Khalifa International Stadium on Friday, November 25 at 9:30 PM. 

Both sides secured their first victory in the tournament by a 2-0 margin as the Netherlands took down Senegal and Ecuador defeated the host country Qatar. 

Ecuador's squad will be more confident just because of the fact that they dominated the inaugural match and got a brace from the in-form striker Enner Valencia. In the meantime, the match was getting on the nerves of the Netherlands team, but later they managed to get two goals against Senegal, all thanks to Cody Gapko and Davy Klaasen. 

With two getting tied off to the top position of the group, this match will determine which side will qualify and also bring out a group leader. Before the opening encounter, the Dutch manager Louis van Gaal announced that Memphis Depay would miss the first match due to injury. Later Depay played as a substitute player. So it is possible that he would be available from the beginning of this match. 

Ecuador’s talisman striker Valencia came off with a knee injury in the 77th minute of the game after scoring a brace in the opening clash against the hosts. This is a huge concern for the team management as the team doesn’t have anyone so potent as a replacement for him to lead from the front. Head coach Gustavo Alfaro is still now unsure of his status even though it’s matchday. The other injury concern for the La Tri is their 25-year-old winger Joao Rojas who is absent at this grand stage due to a torn anterior cruciate ligament

Match Details

Match: Group A, Match 19: NED vs ECU, World Cup 2022

Date: 25 November 2022

Time: 09:30 PM  

Venue: Khalifa International Stadium

Key Players

NED: PSV star Gakpo is the hot topic as he is subjected to speculations of a possible move to the English League and his goal-scoring start in this tournament will surely strengthen the possibilities. He has been involved in four goals in the previous four matches played for the Netherlands in all competitions (3 goals, 1 assist).

ECU:  Probably the best defender in Ecuador is their left-back Pervis Estupinan. He created the most chances (22) in CONMEBOL qualifiers and has more passes in the final third (19), which is more than any other players in the winning match against Qatar. 

Probable Playing XIs

NED: Noppert; De Ligt, Van Dijk, Ake; Dumfries, F de Jong, Berghuis, Blind; Gakpo; Memphis, Bergwijn

ECU: Galindez; Preciado, Torres, Hincapie, Estupinan; Plata, Caicedo, Mendez, Ibarra; Sarmiento; Valencia

Match Prediction

This will be a tough match for the Netherlands, as we can never rule off a South American side like Ecuador, or a draw is also seen as a possibility. Van Gaal’s squad was very much impressive against Senegal and we have a feeling that they will find out their way to those 3 points and become group leaders tonight.

Prediction: NED 3-1 ECU

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