PremiumFIFA World Cup 2022: In the England vs Iran match, Team Melli should play without any fear as the pressure is completely on Gareth Southgate's team.
On November 21, against Iran in Group B, England's World Cup campaign gets underway in Qatar. For the third time in a row, Iran play on the largest platform in the world, but getting past the group stage will be difficult for Team Melli.
Iran, ranking at number 21, should play without any fear knowing that the pressure is completely off their shoulders, unlike England, which has a record of winning the first World Cup encounter and losing the next. Iran won the opening match in 1998, 2006 and 2018, but lost in 2002, 2010 and 2014.
Harry Kane may be punished if he decides to wear the "OneLove" armband as a show of support as FIFA has informed England that such armbands will not be allowed during the tournament. Meanwhile, manager Gareth Southgate has announced that England will take a knee before playing Iran in their opening match.
Southgate is expected to start with Bukayo Saka against Iran. The 21-year-old will likely be chosen ahead of Manchester City's Foden. England, one of the top five teams as per FIFA rankings, may play Kyle Walker as some reports suggest that the right-back is fit from his groin injury.
Carlos Queiroz's team will miss experienced midfielder Omid Ebrahimi, who is out due to a groin injury. Sardar Azmoun, a striker for Bayer Leverkusen, is still on the team despite hurting his calf muscle in October. The captain's armband will be worn by Ehsan Hajsafi as he gets ready for his 122nd appearance.
This will be the first time England and Iran have met on the largest stage because neither team has ever played the other. Iran have a better record in the recent past, having won two of their last five games, including friendly victories over Uruguay and Nicaragua. England have gone six games without a victory.
Harry Kane, England’s hero from the FIFA World Cup 2018, will be a key player even though he hasn’t been in the best of his form. Jude Bellingham, after having an impressive season at Borussia Dortmund, will be a key player to look out for, so will be Trent Alexander-Arnold.
Iranian Messi Sardar Azmoun has made 65 appearances for his country and scored an astounding 41 goals. Between 2018 and 2021, Alireza Jahanbakhsh made 50 appearances for the Seagulls in the Premier League. England’s defence should be wary about striker Mehdi Taremi, who has scored 42 goals since signing for Porto in 2020.
The England vs Iran football match will take place on November 21 at 6:30 PM (India time) in Khalifa International Stadium.
The England vs Iran match will be broadcast live on the Sports18 and Sports18 HD TV channels in India and Jio Cinema's app and website will both offer free live streaming of the event.
While England are favoured by most to win the match, Iran won’t be an easy opposition. Queiroz's boys will resist hard but eventually fall against Southgate’s team 0-1.