The following is a match centre with betting tips for the 2018 FIFA World Cup Group B fixture between Iran and Portugal. The game kicks off on the 26th of June at 4:00 AM AEST. It will be broadcast live on SBS.
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Iran
- FIFA World Rank: 37
- Elo Rating: 21
- Qualifying: Winner of Group A with a 6-4-0 record in the AFC Third Round.
Squad:
- Coach: Carlos Queiroz (Portugal)
- Goalkeepers: Alireza Beiranvand (Persepolis), Rashid Mazaheri (Zob Ahan), Amir Abedzadeh (Maritimo)
- Defenders: Ali Gholizadeh (Saipa), Majid Hosseini (Esteghlal), Milad Mohammadi (Akhmat Grozny), Mohammad Khanzadeh (Padideh), Morteza Pouraliganji (Alsaad), Pejman Montazeri (Esteghlal), Ramin Rezaeian (Ostende), Roozbeh Cheshmi (Esteghlal)
- Midfielders: Ehsan Haji Safi (Olympiacos), Karim Ansarifard (Olympiacos), Masoud Shojaei (AEK Athens), Mahdi Torabi (Saipa), Omid Ebrahimi (Esteghlal), Saeid Ezatolahi (Amkar Perm)
- Forwards: Alireza Jahanbakhsh (AZ Alkmaar), Ashkan Dejageh (Nottingham Forest), Mahdi Taremi (Al-Gharafa), Reza Ghoochannejhad (Heerenveen), Saman Ghoddos (Ostersunds), Sardar Azmoun (Rubin Kazan), Vahid Amiri (Persepolis)
Recent results:
- Iran 0 – 1 Spain
20/06/2018
FIFA World Cup, played in Russia - Morocco 0 – 1 Iran
15/06/2018
FIFA World Cup, played in Russia - Lithuania 0 – 1 Iran
08/06/2018
Friendly, played in Russia - Turkey 2 – 1 Iran
28/05/2018
Friendly, played in Turkey - Iran 1 – 0 Uzbekistan
19/05/2018
Friendly, played in Iran - Algeria 1 – 2 Iran
27/03/2018
Friendly, played in Austria - Tunisia 1 – 0 Iran
23/03/2018
Friendly, played in Tunisia - Iran 4 – 0 Sierra Leone
17/03/2018
Friendly, played in Iran - Iran 1 – 0 Venezuela
13/11/2017
Friendly, played in Netherlands - Iran 2 – 1 Panama
09/11/2017
Friendly, played in Austria - Russia 1 – 1 Iran
10/10/2017
Friendly, played in Russia - Iran 2 – 0 Togo
05/10/2017
Friendly, played in Iran
Statistics: (last four years):
- H2H Record: 31-9-5
- O/U record
- O/U 0.5 record: 42-3
- O/U 1.5 record: 26-19
- O/U 2.5 record: 16-29
- O/U 3.5 record: 11-34
- O/U 4.5 record: 5-40
- O/U 5.5 record: 5-40
- Wins
- Total wins: 31
- Won by 1 goal: 16
- Won by 2 goals: 8
- Won by 3 goals: 1
- Won by 4 goals: 2
- Won by 5 goals: 0
- Won by 5+ goals: 4
- Won to nil 25
- Losses
- Total losses: 5
- Lost by 1 goal: 4
- Lost by 2 goals: 1
- Lost by 3 goals: 0
- Lost by 4 goals: 0
- Lost by 5 goals: 0
- Lost by 5+ goals: 0
- Lost to nil 3
- Clean Sheets and BTTS
- Total Games: 45
- Clean Sheets: 28
- Held Scoreless: 6
- Both Teams Scored: 14
Portugal
- FIFA World Rank: 4
- Elo Rating: 6
- Qualifying: Won Group B with a 9-0-1 record in the UEFA Confederation qualification.
Squad:
- Coach: Fernando Santos
- Goalkeepers: Anthony Lopes (Lyon), Beto (Goztepe), Rui Patricio (Sporting Lisbon)
- Defenders: Bruno Alves (Rangers), Cedric Soares (Southampton), Jose Fonte (Dalian Yifang), Mario Rui (Napoli), Pepe (Besiktas), Raphael Guerreiro (Borussia Dortmund), Ricardo Pereira (Porto), Ruben Dias (Benfica)
- Midfielders: Adrien Silva (Leicester), Bruno Fernandes (Sporting Lisbon), Joao Mario (West Ham), Joao Moutinho (AS Monaco), Manuel Fernandes (Lokomotiv Moscow), William Carvalho (Sporting)
- Forwards: Andre Silva (AC Milan), Bernardo Silva (Manchester City), Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid), Gelson Martins (Sporting Lisbon), Goncalo Guedes (Valencia), Ricardo Quaresma (Besiktas)
Recent results:
- Portugal 1 – 0 Morocco
20/06/2018
FIFA World Cup, played in Russia - Portugal 3 – 3 Spain
15/06/2018
FIFA World Cup, played in Russia - Portugal 3 – 0 Algeria
07/06/2018
Friendly, played in Portugal - Belgium 0 – 0 Portugal
02/06/2018
Friendly, played in Belgium - Portugal 2 – 2 Tunisia
28/05/2018
Friendly, played in Portugal - Portugal 0 – 3 Netherlands
26/03/2018
Friendly, played in Switzerland - Portugal 2 – 1 Egypt
23/03/2018
Friendly, played in Switzerland - Portugal 1 – 1 USA
14/11/2017
Friendly, played in Portugal - Portugal 3 – 0 Saudi Arabia
10/11/2017
Friendly, played in Portugal - Portugal 2 – 0 Switzerland
10/10/2017
WC qualifiers, played in Portugal - Andorra 0 – 2 Portugal
07/10/2017
WC qualifiers, played in Andorra - Hungary 0 – 1 Portugal
03/09/2017
WC qualifiers, played in Hungary
Statistics: (last four years):
- H2H Record: 35-10-10
- O/U record
- O/U 0.5 record: 52-3
- O/U 1.5 record: 36-19
- O/U 2.5 record: 27-28
- O/U 3.5 record: 14-41
- O/U 4.5 record: 10-45
- O/U 5.5 record: 6-49
- Wins
- Total wins: 35
- Won by 1 goal: 18
- Won by 2 goals: 4
- Won by 3 goals: 6
- Won by 4 goals: 3
- Won by 5 goals: 1
- Won by 5+ goals: 3
- Won to nil 26
- Losses
- Total losses: 10
- Lost by 1 goal: 7
- Lost by 2 goals: 2
- Lost by 3 goals: 1
- Lost by 4 goals: 0
- Lost by 5 goals: 0
- Lost by 5+ goals: 0
- Lost to nil 8
- Clean Sheets and BTTS
- Total Games: 55
- Clean Sheets: 29
- Held Scoreless: 11
- Both Teams Scored: 18
Commentary
While all of the focus on Group B has been on Spain and Portugal, Iran still remain in a position to possibly finish first or second. They won their opening game 1-0 against Morocco and lost 1-0 to Spain, so they sit a point behind Portugal and Spain in the standings. The result against Spain was arguably harsh, given Spain’s only goal involved a large slice of luck, but Iran paid the price for lack of offence as they parked the bus and tried to play for a draw. If Iran do manage to make it to the Round of 16 it would be a first in their history. They will be up against it, however. In World Cups they have a 0-1-6 record against European teams. While the 0-1 scoreline against Spain was respectable, Iran failed to record a shot on target during that match. They put 10 men behind the ball against Spain, but can’t afford to do that here unless they take the lead. A draw would see Iran eliminated from the tournament unless Morocco upset Spain. One trump card up Iran’s sleeve is their head coach, Carlos Queiroz, who has managed the Portuguese national team in two previous spells, most recently from 2008–2010. He will know the opposition well. In team news, Iran may be without utility player Ehsan Hajsafi after he sustained a thigh injury against Spain. Central defender Rouzbeh Cheshmi remains out following an injury in training.
Portugal followed up their entertaining 3-3 draw against Spain with a 1-0 win over Morocco. After taking the early lead Portugal weren’t actually very convincing against Morocco. They wasted good opportunities and had to cling on at the end as Morocco searched for an equalizer. Cristiano Ronaldo has scored all of Portugal’s four goals at this World Cup. Much of their success going forward will come down to his form. After scoring in the opening minutes against Morocco Ronaldo had a quiet game. They will need a stronger performance from him and the team if they are to go deep in this tournament. In team news, midfielder Joao Moutinho is a doubt due to illness while Raphael Guerreiro may also not feature due to a leg injury.
Betting
bet365 odds (subject to change):
Compare the latest bookmaker odds for Iran vs. Portugal
I expect Iran will try to keep things tight for as long as possible and then search for a late goal to secure a 1-0 win. I’m not convinced they have the quality to achieve this, however, which is why the 0-0 and 0-1 scorelines appeal.
Betting tip: back under 2.5 goals at 1.66 (Betfair)
Notes
- FIFA World rankings are from the 7th of June and sourced from https://www.fifa.com/fifa-world-ranking/ranking-table/men/index.html
- The World Football Elo Ratings are from the 11th of June and are based on the Elo rating system, developed by Dr. Arpad Elo. This system is used by the international chess federation to rate chess players and is considered by many to be a superior rating tool to the one used by FIFA. The ratings have been sourced from https://www.eloratings.net/.
- Squad lists sourced from http://www.skysports.com/football/news/12098/11374464/every-world-cup-squad-listed-argentina-brazil-russia-and-more