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Netherlands v Qatar Preview

Netherlands v Qatar Preview

Mayes Yousef

The Netherlands take on Qatar at Al Bayt Stadium, in a Group A match.

Qatar will be playing their third and final game of the World Cup, with hopes high for not becoming the first host country to exit the tournament without winning a match.

Al Annabi lost their first two matches against Ecuador and Senegal, becoming the second host country to exit the 32-team competition at the group stage, after South Africa in 2010.

The Netherlands, ranked eighth by FIFA, are aiming for a better performance than previous World Cups. The Dutch were runner-ups in the 1974, 1978 and 2010 editions of the tournament.

To secure their advancement, the Dutch need at least a draw; they can still qualify even if they lose to Qatar, and Ecuador beat Senegal.

Kick-off is at 18:00 Doha time.

Netherlands line-up: Noppert, Timber, Van Dijk, Ake, Dumfries, de Roon, de Jong, Blind, Klaassen, Gapko, Depay

Qatar line-up: Barsham, Ahmed, Hassan, Khoukhi, Miguel, Mohamed, Hatem, Madibo, Haidos, Afif, Ali