AFC Asian Cup Quarter-Final: Qatar vs Uzbekistan Odds
Hosts Take on White Wolves
Defending Champions Perfect Through Four Matches
Hosts Qatar are defending AFC Asian Cup champions. So far, Qatar have won all four of their matches en route to the Quarter-Final. On Saturday, they’ll take on the White Wolves of Uzbekistan, who took down Thailand 2-1 in the round of 16. In what should be a competitive AFC Asian Cup matchup, we’ll preview the Qatar vs. Uzbekistan odds with a spot in the Semifinal on the line. Uzbekistan are looking for just their second-ever Semifinal appearance at the AFC Asian Cup.
Qatar vs Uzbekistan
Date, time:
Location: Al-Bayt Stadium, Al Khor, Qatar
Streaming: Live Sports Stream
Head-to-Head
This is the first opportunity to bet on Qatar vs Uzbekistan odds since the White Wolves defeated Qatar 2-0 in a 2018 friendly. Uzbekistan are currently on a three-game winning streak vs. Qatar and Qatar’s last competitive win over Uzbekistan was in 2008. This is the first-ever AFC Asian Cup knockout stage meeting between the two sides. Uzbekistan do hold an unbeaten 1-1-0 record vs. Qatar at the AFC Asian Cup heading into this one. The historic scores and odds favor Uzbekistan, as they hold a 9-2-3 record vs. Qatar all-time.
Experienced Qatar Onto Quarters
Qatar didn’t concede a single goal in the group stage and won all three of their matches. The hosts and defending champions finished first in the Group A Asian Cup standings with a +5 goal difference. Akram Afif was Qatar’s standout player of the group stage, as he scored three goals and provided an assist. Qatar keeper Meshaal Barsham also kept three straight clean sheets.
In the round of 16, Qatar went up against Palestine, who made their first-ever appearance in the AFC Asian Cup knockout stage. Palestine took the lead in the match, but Qatar came fighting back. Afif assisted Hasan Al-Haydos on the equalizer, and Afif converted a second-half penalty to help Qatar get a 2-1 victory. As of Tuesday morning, Afif was tied for the tournament lead, with six goal contributions.
In 2019, Almoez Ali was the tournament’s best player and top scorer, with nine goals, but he hasn’t made the same impact this time around. Qatar’s all-time leading scorer has scored just once so far, but he has provided two assists. This Qatar team has big game experience, and while they were outclassed at the 2022 FIFA World Cup, they have what it takes to compete with the AFC’s best.
Uzbekistan Back in Familiar Position
Uzbekistan managed to finish in second place in AFC Asian Cup Group B with a 1-2-0 record. The White Wolves sealed their sixth straight knockout stage appearance with a 1-1 draw vs. Australia on the final group stage matchday. Missing captain Otabek Shukurov and active leading scorer Igor Sergeyev, Uzbekistan, took on Thailand on Tuesday morning in the round of 16.
The pregame soccer betting odds listed Uzbekistan as -165 favorites, and they took the lead in the first half. Azizbek Turgunboev scored an outrageous goal as he chested the ball down and volleyed past the Thai keeper. Thailand equalized in the 58th minute, but Uzbekistan’s Abbosbek Fayzullaev scored the winner soon after. Now, Uzbekistan are in the Quarter-Final for a fifth time in the last six AFC Asian Cups.
So far, both Turgunboev and Fayzullaev lead Uzbekistan with two goals each. Uzbekistan’s defense has also been solid, as they’ve conceded just two goals through four games. Notably, Uzbekistan have lost just two of their last 20 matches and are not to be underestimated.
Match Analysis & Odds
Despite their struggles vs. Uzbekistan, Qatar are +120 moneyline favorites for this match. After all, Qatar are the defending champions and hosts of the tournament and they should have a lot of support behind them here. The Qatar vs Uzbekistan odds also list the White Wolves as +240 underdogs as they go for their second-ever Semifinal appearance.
Qatar have won each of their four matches so far, but a draw does show +210 odds for this one. In this pick’em, Qatar pk sits at -140 odds, while bettors can take Uzbekistan pk at +120. In the last year alone, Uzbekistan have draws vs. Venezuela, Mexico, Iran and Australia and are not a team to be taken lightly.
So far, Qatar have outscored their opponents 6-1 during this tournament and under two goals are priced at -110 odds. These teams have conceded a combined three goals up to this point, and this match could turn into a defensive battle.
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