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This is England and Iran's first meeting at the World Cup but it would be wise not to expect fireworks
With England heading into their 15th World Cup tournament and Iran heading into their fifth, it is obvious who is more likely to take all three points. The Three Lions have a historical advantage over their Middle-Eastern opponents, and also have, by far, the better team, but their cautious approach, and Iran's familiarity with the weather conditions in Qatar means that they are going to struggle to impress, even if they do win.
Head-To-Head
This will be the first meeting between England and Iran, and it will be fun to see how the two sides handle playing against a brand new opponent.
Form coming into the World Cup
England: DLLDD
Iran: LWDWL
Players to Watch
England
Harry Kane
2018 World Cup Golden Boot winner Harry Kane is on the precipice of history with England at the World Cup. Kane is two goals away from equalling Wayne Rooney’s tally of 53 goals as England’s record goalscorer, and Iran presents a great opportunity to do so.
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Before the break for the World Cup, Kane had scored 12 goals in 15 Premier League appearances for Tottenham and was only below the irrepressible Erling Haaland on the goal scoring charts.
Jude Bellingham
Looking at England’s squad list and underwhelming midfield options, the name Jude Bellingham stands out as the best and most creative central midfielder on the England squad at the World Cup.
The 19-year-old midfielder has been Borussia Dortmund’s creative hub, and has been central to the German club’s build-up in the Bundesliga.
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He’s made more progressive passes in the league (86) than any other player not named Joshua Kimmich, has made the third most passes into the final third (84), and also is also in the top 10 for most passes into the penalty area, with 22 entries.
He has a skillset that most other English midfielders have, and should England come up against a predictably tight Iranian defense, Bellingham is one player that they can look to for solutions in the final third.
Iran
Mehdi Taremi
Mehdi Taremi has been in excellent form for Porto in both the Liga Portugal and the UEFA Champions league. He has scored 13 goals in 19 games, and laid a further eight assists for teammates in all competitions so far.
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He also scored seven goals for Iran on their way to qualifying for Qatar 2022, and is likely to be their go-to man for goals once again when the World Cup kicks off.
Alireza Jahanbakhsh
Alireza is finally finding his form again in Feyenoord after an unsuccessful stint in England, and the winger will be one of Iran’s biggest threats on the counterattack with his pace and ability to beat his man.
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In the first half of the season, Jahanbakhsh has contributed to five goals for Feyenoord in six starts, a sign that he could be back to his best form, just in time to help Iran try to pull off an upset in Qatar.
The Coaches
Gareth Southgate
Gareth Southgate has taken England to one major final, and one major semi-final in his short reign as England coach, which is a considerable improvement on his recent predecessors who sometimes crashed out of the group stages, or failed to qualify for these tournaments altogether. Yet, he is still seen as one of the worst managers at the World Cup.
Such is the pressure attached to coaching one of the most expectant countries in the football world, with fans who sing “it’s coming home” before a ball has even been kicked.
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Hate him or love him, Southgate, his cautious approach to matches, and unchanging 3-4-3 formation have done well for England, and with another major tournament on the horizon, it would be odd not to back him.
Carlos Queiroz
Carlos Queiroz is the longest serving coach in Iran’s national team’s history having been in charge for eight years between 2011 and 2019. In his second stint with them, he will be leading the country to an unprecedented third World Cup.
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Queiroz is vastly more experienced than his English counterpart, and was already coaching at the highest level with Real Madrid when Southgate was winding down his career. He prefers to set his Iran side up in a 4-1-4-1 formation, and has been largely successful with it, claiming two wins, and a draw in his three matches since returning to Iran.
Match odds
England are heavy favourites, and are priced to take all three points at 1.38 odds, while Iran are priced at a hefty 10.50 odds. With both teams employing cautious approaches, few goals are expected, so chances for over 1.5 goals are set at 1.41 odds, while under 2.5 goals are set at 1.63 odds.
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