England vs Iran
FIFA World Cup
Group B
21st November 2022
Khalifa International Stadium
England vs Iran: Preview
England
England’s final Nations League game was a thrilling draw against Germany (3-3). Germany and England finished third and fourth in Group 3 of the Nations League, behind Hungary and Italy. The 0-4 loss at home versus the Hungarians was particularly humiliating.
Southgate’s style of play has been heavily criticised in England, and there have long been cries for a replacement national coach. The Englishman appears to have abandoned his 4-2-3-1 system in favour of the more often utilised 3-5-2. It remains to be seen whether this will provide relief against Iran.
Iran
In Iran, there is plenty going on politically. This appears to have ramifications for the national football squad as well. Trainer Carlos Queiroz has revealed his full team after a very turbulent period. Alireza Jahanbakhsh and Sardar Azmoun are among the individuals accused of political discord. Without going into great detail, the position with the Iranian football team is disturbing, but so is the political situation in Iran.
Iran finished first in Group A of the Asian World Cup qualification series for the 2022 World Cup. It therefore held South Korea behind, despite the fact that it still advanced through the play-offs. Eight victories in ten games.
Iran held Senegal to a scoreless draw (1-1). Uruguay also triumphed (1-0). Jahanbakhsh is the most well-known player in the Netherlands. The former NEC and AZ player is now playing for Feyenoord. With 64 international appearances (thirteen goals), he is rightfully said to as a staple on the Iranian team.
Azmoun is unquestionably Iran’s most deadly man. The attacker plays for Bayer Leverkusen in the Bundesliga and has now scored forty goals for Iran in 63 international matches. The concern would be whether Azmoun will be ready for the match against England, as he is presently rehabilitating from a calf injury.
If he is unable to return in time, Mehdi Taremi (FC Porto), who now has scored twenty international goals, will assume responsibility for scoring goals. Besides Azmoun’s injury, the squad is nearly complete.
Prediction
An average of 3.66 goals were scored in England’s previous three fixtures. While, the recent score lines of Iran have been tidier. Things tend to change at this level of the game. Hence expect a high scoring game.
England despite not being the favourites for this tournament have potential to cause damage. For a team of such expectation, getting past Iran should be a given. And I do believe England will go deep, starting with an impressive win in the opening game.
