The first of the final group stage games kicks off with Ecuador and Senegal in a ‘winner takes all’ scenario with Netherlands taking on Qatar – with the hosts already eliminated, it would be a shock to see anything other than a Dutch victory in that one. Therefore, there should only be one more place available in group A. Should Ecuador better Netherlands result then they will top the group.Both sides come into this one scoring 3 goals in their 2 games with Senegal looking less stable at the back as they have conceded 3 in the 2 games too!The performances of Ecuador and more specifically Enner Valencia, has surprised many people. But with only one loss to their name in 2022 with honourable draws against Argentina and Brazil, it seems as though they’ve been a little underestimated in this tournament so far.Looking back at their 1-1 draw against the Netherlands, they limited the Dutch to 2 shots with only one being on target (Gakpo’s goal) whereas the South American side created 13 opportunities with 5 on target! Ecuador will probably have come away from that game disappointed with only a point.It’s been a similar story for Senegal who have dominated the two games they’ve played in, in terms of chances created. Which means this is set up to be an intense decider with Ecuador just edging it for me but this really could go either way! I expect both teams to find the back of the net in this one.Score Prediction: 2-1Bet Prediction: Both Teams to Score – 37/40
