Qatar vs Iraq Predictions

The group stages could hardly have been easier for Qatar, but how will Al-Annabi fare now that most of the deadwood has been cleared? It’s one thing brushing aside the likes of Lebanon and North Korea, but taking on better opposition will require more.

Qatar didn’t have the toughest group to emerge from, though they must be given credit for getting the job done with minimal fuss. Félix Sánchez Bas’ men come into this first knockout match having won three out of three at this tournament, while they’ve scored ten goals and have conceded none in the process. Such numbers are certainly encouraging.

In scoring ten goals, Qatar have looked useful in the final third; they’ve looked good in possession, have created chances and have had absolutely no problem applying the finishing touches. That said, where they’ve really impressed is at the back. Defensively, in terms of resistance, Al-Annabi have looked reasonably sturdy, while they’ve also done a very good job of preventing their opponents from creating much. As things stand, only Iran have conceded less expected goals, which essentially tells us that Qatar have made it very hard for teams to forge scoring opportunities against them. As touched on above, they’ve not played the highest calibre of opposition, but at least they’ve given themselves a solid base from which to build.

Iraq also showed plenty of promise during the group stages. Srečko Katanec’s men won their opening two games and thus booked their place in this round with a game to spare. They weren’t overly impressive when drawing 0-0 against a very good Iran side on match-day three, but they didn’t give too much away and ultimately avoided defeat in a match that they didn’t need to win.

The Iraqis started the tournament in less than sturdy fashion; they shipped twice against Vietnam on match-day one, though they’ve since tightened up. At the other end of proceedings, Katanec’s side have looked useful. They didn’t offer much against Iran, but as mentioned previously, they’d already qualified and thus played accordingly. Prior to match-day three, Iraq scored six goals and delivered expected-goals for performances of 2.03 and 1.62. These numbers bode well.

In the betting, ‘Both Teams to Score’, which has yielded a profit in each of the last four renewals of this fixture, stands out. Both Qatar and Ira have offered plenty going forward, so it would be no surprise if they both netted on this occasion. Qatar have defended very well up until this point, but they’ve not faced a side of Iraq’s quality. The Iraqis showed enough in the groups to suggest that they can cause even the better sides at this tournament problems, though we also saw (against Vietnam) that they’re not too sharp at the back. All things considered, ‘BTTS’ looks a solid option.