Prediction: Netherlands vs Qatar

Verdict: Cody Gakpo to score

Best odds: 31/20

Bookmaker: Unibet

The final round of group stage of the World Cup in Qatar begins on Tuesday, and at the Al Bayt Stadium, the host nation will face Netherlands in what will be a clash of two teams with very different motives.

Netherlands

Netherlands entered the tournament as the favourites to win Group A, and despite drawing against Ecuador on Friday, Louis van Gaal’s men have largely justified that status. They top the table with four points after beating Senegal 2-0 in the first round, courtesy of late goals from Cody Gakpo and Davy Klaassen, and as for the Ecuador match, Gakpo was on target again early on, but Enner Valencia equalized for the South American country after the break. It’s interesting to note that the Dutch allowed Ecuador a total of 15 shots, while taking only two themselves.

But it should be business as usual on Tuesday. With Ecuador also on four points and Senegal on three, and those two sides facing each other, Netherlands are already through to the round of 16, but they will want to finish top of the group and for that they need to beat Qatar.

Team News

Van Gaal started the previous two matches with Gakpo and Steven Bergwijn upfront, two fast wingers without a proper striker. However, Memphis Depay made substitute appearances in both, and the Barcelona man could be finally given a chance to lead the line this time. If so, midfielder Teun Koopmeiners is the likeliest man to make way, with Klaassen dropping into the midfield line alongside Frenkie de Jong, while Gakpo and Bergwijn support Depay from the flanks.

Qatar

Despite hosting the tournament, Qatar were the first team to declared out of it after losing 0-2 to Ecuador right after the opening ceremony (Valencia scored both goals) and 1-3 to Senegal with Mohammed Muntari bagging the only goal for them, while Boulaye Dia, Famara Diedhiou and Bamba Dieng netted for the African nation.

Qatar are, of course, at the bottom of the group table without any points, and the only motivation they now have left is to try as hard as they can to improve the overall impression in front of the home supporters, in their own city. A good performance against a team like Netherlands would surely suffice in that aspect, regardless perhaps of the actual outcome.

Team News

The goal Muntari scored off the bench against Senegal could be enough for coach Felix Sanchez to put him into the starting XI this time, and the same goes for Abdulaziz Hatem, who also put in a fine performance after coming on as a substitute.

Almoez Ali should be the man to join Muntari upfront, but the main driving force of the team will again be captain Hassan Al-Haydos in the middle of the park.

Conclusion

Unfortunately for Qatar, the players, staff and their supporters, it’s hard to imagine them getting anything but an honorable defeat from this match as they end the involvement in the World Cup that they’re hosting. They’ve been outplayed and beaten twice, and now they face arguably the strongest team in the group.

As has been said, it’s down to business for the Dutch on Tuesday. They won’t be too keen on the prospect of dropping the top spot in the group against a side with nothing but pride to play for.

With every bookie giving extremely short odds for a Netherlands win (1/5 most of them), it might be more interesting to try and pick out a goalscorer. Gakpo has had a great tournament so far, and he’ll be motivated to turn up for his country again as he seeks to attract attention from top clubs around Europe.

Verdict: Cody Gakpo to score

Best odds: 31/20

Bookmaker: Unibet