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Qatar lock horns with El Salvador in the quarter-final fixture of the CONCACAF Gold Cup on Saturday at State Farm Stadium, Arizona.
Both teams had smooth sailing in the group stage fixtures. Qatar were unbeaten in their three games and are on a two-game winning streak at the moment. In their final group stage fixture, a 2-0 win over Honduras confirmed the top spot for them in Group D.
El Salvador were one of the first sides to seal a spot in the knockout stages with two back-to-back wins. In the final group stage fixture they lost 1-0 to Mexico in their top-of-the-table clash. They finished second behind El Tri in Group A.
Qatar vs El Salvador Head-to-Head
Qatar and El Salvador have squared off just once across all competitions. That encounter was a friendly affair, which ended in a 1-0 win for Qatar. The two sides met at the Aldo Drosina Stadium earlier this month.
Qatar form guide (all competitions): W-W-D-W-W
El Salvador form guide (all competitions): L-W-W-L-D
Qatar vs El Salvador Team News
Qatar
Qatar have been fortunate enough not to suffer from any injuries at the tournament. They have a fully fit squad for this crucial game. Striker Akram Afif will be the key man for them as he has scored twice and picked up two assists in the competition so far.
Injured: None
Doubtful: None
Suspended: None
El Salvador
El Salvador won't be able to count on the services of Narciso Orellana, who picked up his second yellow card of the competition in the game against Mexico. He will serve a one-game suspension here. Romulo Villalobos was ruled out of the tournament due to a fracture in his arm and will remain sidelined.
La Selecta were also dealt another blow with striker Tony Rugamas ruled out with flu-like symptoms. Miguel Lemus, a defender, has been included in the squad for Rugamas.
Injured: Rómulo Villalobos, Tony Rugamas
Doubtful: None
Suspended: Narciso Orellana
Qatar vs El Salvador Predicted XI
Qatar Predicted XI (3-5-2): Meshaal Barsham; Abdelkarim Hassan, Boualem Khoukhi, Tarek Salman; Hassan Al-Haydos, Ro-Ro, Karim Boudiaf, Akram Afif, Abdulaziz Hatem; Almoez Ali, Mohammed Muntari
El Salvador Predicted XI (4-1-4-1): Mario Gonzalez; Eriq Zavaleta, José Campos, Roberto Dominguez, Alexander Larín; Isaac Portillo; Darwin Ceren, Jairo Henríquez, Marvin Monterrosa, Walmer Martinez; Joshua Pérez
Qatar vs El Salvador Prediction
The encounter between Qatar and El Salvador is one of the best matchups in the quarter-finals. Both teams kept two clean sheets in the group stage. Qatar have been relatively more prolific in front of the goal than El Salvador and this could be the decisive factor when these two sides meet on Saturday.
We predict the game to be a closely fought affair but Qatar are in better form at the moment and could edge past El Salvador here.
Prediction: Qatar 3-1 El Salvador.
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