Qatar vs USA: Champions of Asia and North America clash in Gold Cup semi-final

United States forward Matthew Hoppe (13) celebrates with fans and teammates after scoring a goal in action during the CONCACAF Gold Cup quarterfinals match between the United Sates and Jamaic

A place in the 2021 Gold Cup final will be up for grabs when the United States and Qatar go head-to-head in Austin.

When: Friday, July 30, 00:30 BST

Where: 02 Stadium, Austin, Texas

How to watch: Premier Sports

Follow this game live via our score centre

Best bets

USA to win at 20/21

Both teams to score at 10/11

Over 2.5 goals scored at 11/10

The United States haven't exactly set the tournament alight. However, the fact they made it this far is commendable considering they've essentially selected a reserves team.

The majority of America's European-based players - who helped the team to an inaugural Nations League victory two months ago - are back with their clubs. This meant that Gregg Berhalter has had to rely primarily on MLS talent.

Despite this, the United States won all their group games and also claimed a 1-0 victory over Jamaica in the quarter-final. This may not be a side at the peak of their powers but they certainly know how to win games.

Qatar, on the other hand, have been the Gold Cup's entertainers. In four games, the side led by Felix Sanchez have scored 12 goals - the most in the tournament.

However, one major problem with the Asian Champions concerns their defence. The team has conceded five goals at the Gold Cup - the most of all the semi-finalists.

USA's journey to the semi-final

Group Stage

United States 1-0 Haiti

Martinique 1-6 United States

United States 1-0 Canada

Quarter-final

United States 1-0 Jamaica

Qatar's journey to the semi-final

Group Stage

Qatar 3-3 Panama

Grenada 0-4 Qatar

Honduras 0-2 Qatar

Quarter-final

Qatar 3-2 El Salvador

United States to avenge off-field controversy

This is a fixture that will see the current North American Nations League winners take on the Asian Champions.

But that is not the only significant thing about this game.

The United States and Qatar have never gone head-to-head in an international fixture. However, the two federations did clash during the bidding process for the 2022 World Cup.

The two nations were the final contenders as Qatar went on to win by 14 votes to eight - a vote that to this day is seen as controversial.

Goalscorer bets

The current Gold Cup top scorer is Qatar's Ali Almoez who has bagged four goals - two of those coming in the quarter-final.

The top scorer for the United States is Daryl Dike who has managed to score twice in the tournament.

The key man for the US though, is Matthew Hoppe. The Schalke 04 player scored the winning goal in America's quarter-final and he is the man to watch against Qatar.