Netherlands vs Ecuador Prediction, Match Preview, Live Stream, Odds & Picks
South Americans Tough Opponent to Crack
Khalifa International Stadium will host Friday’s World Cup game between Netherlands and Ecuador, the two teams who are leading the group. We’ve plenty of FIFA World Cup predictions for you to consider.
Let’s check the latest World Cup odds, stats, injury reports, and World Cup lines for Netherlands vs Ecuador. We’ve plenty of World Cup betting odds for you to consider.
Netherlands vs Ecuador Betting Lines
Netherlands: Rock-Solid at the Back
The Netherlands kicked off their World Cup campaign in the perfect way as they beat Senegal 2-0, keeping a clean sheet in the process. However, the win was hardly impressive. The Dutch were frustrated for large parts of the game, and it took them 84 minutes to find the back of the net as Cody Gakpo scored the opener. Davy Klaassen added some gloss to the scoreline with a 99th-minute goal, with the Netherlands coming away with all three points.
The Dutch had nine goal attempts, five fewer than Senegal. Nonetheless, Louis van Gaal will be happy with his defensive line that had their third clean sheet in a row. The attacking strength of the Dutch side did the job in the first game, but Van Gaal’s men need to be stronger in midfield against Ecuador, which is very aggressive in duels.
Van Gaal made a couple of surprising calls for the Netherlands’ opener against Senegal, which he is likely to reverse here. Matthijs de Ligt admitted post-match that Jurrien Timber was probably better off starting at right center-back, so the Ajax man may be given the nod. Vincent Janssen was largely ineffective up front alongside Steven Bergwijn, meaning Memphis Depay should return. Since the return of van Gaal, the national team has returned to the upper level of international football, but we can’t trust them so we won’t include them in our soccer picks and parlays.
Ecuador: Great Fighting Spirit
Ecuador overcame host nation Qatar with relative ease and never really had to get out of first gear as they recorded a comfortable 2-0 win. They rely on Fenerbahce striker Enner Valencia, who scored a brace against the World Cup hosts. Valencia suffered an injury in the Group A opener, but he should recover in time to face the Netherlands.
They have a great chance to qualify for the knockout stages as they need two points from their remaining two games. Gustavo Alfaro will surely have a defensive approach and play for a draw against the Dutch, and another stalemate in their final game with Senegal will definitely see the South Americans in the Round of 16 for the second time since 2006.
They became the first team in World Cup history to beat the tournament’s host nation in the curtain raiser. Yet a failure to win against 13 of the 24 European opponents that Ecuador has faced over the years, which includes two games against the Dutch (a draw and a defeat), may mean Alfaro needs to be at his motivational best once again for this fixture. If you’re betting online, you always look for the value of the underdogs.
Netherlands vs Ecuador Match Information
- Game: Netherlands vs Ecuador
- Day/Time: Friday, Nov. 25, 11 a.m. ET
- Location: Khalifa International Stadium (Doha)
- How to watch Netherlands vs Ecuador?: Fox Sports
Netherlands vs Ecuador Live stream: fubo.tv
Netherlands vs Ecuador Picks & Predictions
- Worth Betting on the Moneyline?
The Netherlands enter this clash as favorites being priced at -125 on the three-way money line according to the latest soccer odds while Ecuador is priced at +375. Don’t get tricked by Ecuador’s easy win against Qatar because the host nation is probably the worst team in the tournament. There’s no value backing the Netherlands at this price but we expect them to pick up the three points with a short win.
- Worth Betting Against the Spread?
The spread is set at -½ so logically the Netherlands -½ is priced at -125. The only value here is on Ecuador to keep their opponents to a draw and we don’t expect them to succeed. They will play for the draw and try to put 11 players behind the ball. At the end, Ecuador will remain with the three points earned in the group opener.
- Worth Betting the Totals?
The goal line is set at 2½ with the under being priced at -135. This match has all the ingredients to stay under. Both of these sides have strong defensive records and the Dutch head into the game seeking a fourth successive clean sheet. Ecuador hasn’t conceded since a 1-1 draw with Argentina in March, a run stretching seven games.
Score Prediction: Netherlands 1, Ecuador 0
The odds and predictions in the article are based on the time of writing and publication. They may differ as to when the actual event takes place.
