England will begin their 2022 FIFA World Cup campaign against Iran on Monday, hoping to start the tournament on a winning note.
England, who face Iran first up at the 2022 FIFA World Cup, have done quite well in the major events, and they have reached the semi-finals of the 2018 World Cup and the finals of Euro 2020 in recent years.
The Three Lions will feel that they have the strength in depth to go all the way this time around. It will be interesting to see if England can start the World Cup campaign positively and make the most of their potential in Qatar over the next few weeks.
Meanwhile, Iran will be one of the underdogs in Group B, and it will be interesting to see if they can pull off a few upsets along the way. Carlos Queiroz’s side are no pushovers, and they have the quality to surprise the big guns like England and Wales during the group stages.
The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at the encounter ahead of the FIFA World Cup 2022 Group B meeting between England and Iran at the Khalifa International Stadium.
Team News & Tactics
England
Meet the 26 ready to represent the #ThreeLions at the @FIFAWorldCup.
First up, it's your goalkeepers: @JPickford1, @Popey1992 and @AaronRamsdale98! 👐 pic.twitter.com/DpRqpeRRBn
— England (@England) November 15, 2022
Gareth Southgate will be without the services of Kyle Walker for this game. The Manchester City defender has returned from his injury, but this game has come too soon for him. The England head coach is unlikely to risk Kalvin Phillips either.
England are likely to line up in a 4-3-3 formation, with Jordan Pickford lining up in goal. Kieran Trippier has been excellent for Newcastle United, and he is set to start as the right-back here. At the heart of England’s defence, Harry Maguire is likely to partner John Stones, despite the Manchester United defender being out of form. Luke Shaw is set to start as the left-back here.
AS for the midfield three, Declan Rice will partner Jude Bellingham and Mason Mount. Mount will look to play as the attacking midfielder, while Bellingham will be the box-to-box player who will drive the team forward. Rice will sit deep and protect the back four.
In the front three, Harry Kane will be flanked by Raheem Sterling and Bukayo Saka. Kane will be the leading light for England in yet another tournament and will hope to win the Golden Boot for a second successive World Cup. Sterling is Southgate’s go-to man and will need to step up his form from the club level.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Pickford; Trippier, Stones, Maguire, Shaw; Mount, Rice, Bellingham; Saka, Kane, Sterling
Iran
Carlos Queiroz will be without the services of key midfielder Omid Ebrahimi because of a groin injury. Meanwhile, Sardar Azmoun is unlikely to be risked here either. He has just returned to training after tearing a calf muscle last month.
Iran will start in their 4-3-3 setup and Alireza Beiranvand will start as the goalkeeper here. In the back four, Mojtaba Moharrami will start as the right-back and Milad Mohammadi will start as the left-back. Morteza Pouraliganji will partner Majid Hosseini at the heart of Iran’s defence.
🗣️ 'To be among the best, This is a special moment.'
Carlos Queiroz's Iran take on England in their opening group match on Monday. pic.twitter.com/PKI3bLTmZN
— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) November 20, 2022
Ahmad Nourollahi, Saeid Ezatolahi and Ehsan Hajsafi will start as the central midfielders here. Alireza Jahanbakhsh should feature as the wide forward alongside star striker Mehdi Taremi. Vahid Amiri will start on the other flank.
Iran will hope to sit back and hit England on the break. They have a quality finisher in Taremi, and it remains to be seen whether they can pull off a shock result here.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Beiranvand; Moharrami, Pouraliganji, Hosseini, Mohammadi; Ezatolahi, Nourollahi, Hajsafi; Jahanbaksh, Taremi, Amiri
Key Stats
- Monday’s match will be the first ever encounter between England and Iran. The Islamic Republic have never beaten European opposition at the FIFA World Cup (D2 L6).
- England are the only European team to have reached the semi-finals in each of the last two major tournaments (FIFA World Cup + EURO).
- 12 of England’s last 18 goals at the FIFA World Cup have been scored from set-pieces. In fact, 75% of their goals in 2018 came from dead ball situations (9 out of 12).
- Iran have never progressed past the first round of the FIFA World Cup, winning only two of their 15 matches (v USA in 1998 and Morocco in 2018). This is their sixth participation in the tournament, including their third in a row.
- Iran have scored just nine goals in 15 FIFA World Cup matches; at 0.6, it’s the lowest goals-per-game ratio of any nation to play more than 10 games at the competition. They have only netted more than once in one of their 15 games, a 2-1 win over USA in 1998.
- Harry Kane was the top scorer in the 2018 FIFA World Cup, with five of his six goals coming in the group stages. No player has ever been top/joint-top scorer at two different World Cup tournaments.
Player to Watch
Harry Kane
The Tottenham striker has been in fantastic form in the Premier League, and he has looked in impressive goalscoring touch this season. Kane will look to take advantage of Iran’s defensive vulnerabilities and get on the scoresheet here. England have some excellent creators on their side and Kane should have ample service here.
Prediction
England 3-0 Iran
England will be the favourites heading into the game against Iran. Despite their poor form in recent months, they are a formidable side that know how to turn it on in the biggest of stages. The gulf in class between the two sides is enormous, and England should be able to pick up a comfortable win to begin the group stages.
