- Qatar have scored an average of 1.00 goals per game at home and conceded an average of 1.43.
- Switzerland are unbeaten in their last five away games (all comps), winning 1 and drawing 4.
- Dan Ndoye has scored three goals in his last five appearances for Switzerland.
Qatar's World Cup preparations have been slow and steady
Qatar are yet to get going in the World Cup and will struggle to take the points against a consistent and hard-to-beat Switzerland side in Group B on Saturday. Julen Lopetegui's side have only won two, drawn three and lost five in their last 10 games (all-competitions).
The Mariners drew 0-0 with El Salvador in a friendly international played in Doha just three days ago and there are still question marks around their ability to compete at this level.
Lopetegui has introduced a European structure with some attacking style to a side that likes to play through a 4-2-3-1 or 4-3-3 system, pressing high at times. They are adept at playing in transition, creating overloads wide and counter-attacking at pace. Almoez Ali is their main goal threat and can be a handful for defenders to contain.
Dan Ndoye is Switzerland's in-form attacker
Assim Madibo brings energy and a ball-winning ability to the side, allowing the likes of Akram Afif to be free to create. Afif is a dribbler who unlocks defences in transition.
Switzerland will provide a much sterner test for Qatar than the Salvadorans did and Murat Yakin has turned them into a flexible team since taking over in 2021. The Swiss can play in a number of formations, but their basic structure is flexible, allowing them to control possession and play with a measured tempo.
Granit Xhaka is the anchor in midfield, allowing them to play a possession-based game, but also providing the ball-playing ability to dictate the tempo of the game. They can play at pace, but usually remain disciplined and clinical in their style of play.
Swiss are solid at the back, Qatar can attack
Noah Okafor will give them a burst of pace and the ability to create and get on the end of crosses. Dan Ndoye is their in-form player right now, having bagged three of the team's 9 goals in the last five matches.
The Swiss are a team that are hard to beat and will be tough to break down in this match-up. They have only conceded two goals in their last five matches away from home, but Qatar have struggled recently.
Switzerland will probably edge this game, but Qatar's attacking intent could make it a thrilling end-to-end match with plenty of goals. The odds on both teams to score are attractive at around 2.46 and over 2.5 goals are also favoured at 1.69.
