England vs Iran: The two nations are preparing to meet on Monday afternoon at Khalifa International Stadium.
England’s latest performances show that they’re not fully prepared to tackle the World Cup matches effectively, however, Southgate is expected to assist players regain their motivation in their crucial game with Iran. After their disappointing Nations League campaign in the Nations League, the Three Lions will need to recover their composure during this game, since the win could boost their confidence in the coming fixtures.
Iran is always seen as a banana skin, and shouldn’t be ignored; with such a strong squad that is, it’s going to be a challenge to England to penetrate their defence. They’re always quick to exploit the weaknesses of their opponents as well, and according to their recent performance, it appears that they are in good shape and are ready to take on the world.
England form (all competition): L-D-D-L-L-D
Iran form (all competition): W-L-W-D-W-L
England vs Iran Injury and team news
It’s not too an early time to start Kyle Walker, who is still not in a good state after a the groin surgery. In contrast, James Maddison, who injured himself during an incident during the Leicester incident and was not in training in the squad last week. Rice and Phillips have put together a formidable team that is on the way to finals in the Euro 2020 final however, Phillips has not played much this season, having suffered an injury to his shoulder that could mean Bellingham to take over for Phillips in the opening game.
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Omid Ebrahimi from Iran will be out of the match due to injuries to his groin. Bayern Leverkusen’s Sardar Azmoun pulled his calf muscle and his condition is unclear. The two players are Iran’s sole injuries while the remaining players likely to be playing against England.
Players to watch
Players to view
Jude Bellingham
Jude Bellingham, who has been an intriguing player to the team this year, will start in front of Kalvin Phillips. If he combines perfectly together with Foden and Rice and is able to assist Southgate play the ball forward, and create openings by his fluid passing style and high-pressing ability to control the midfield and the game. Bellingham is a worthy candidate to be part of the starting lineup for the game against Iran.
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Mehdi Taremi
Mehdi Taremi is an essential player The team is expected to depend heavily on Mehdi Taremi’s. Taremi is a star when the team is under pressure in large matches and has scored numerous important goal for Iran against the big nations. Even though Sardar Azmoun is out and this Porto forward is expected to be the first to score in this crucial game. He is a veteran attacker with incredible power which should be a major threat to England’s defence.
Head-to-Head stats
This will be the first time they will meet in a major tournament.
Predicted Lineup
England predicted lineup (3-4-2-1)
Pickford; Trippier, Stones, Maguire, Shaw; Rice, Bellingham; Sterling, Mount, Foden; Kane
Iran predicted lineup (4-1-3-2)
Beiranvand; Moharrami, Pouraliganji, Hosseini, Mohammedi; Nourollahi, Ezatolahi, Hajsafi; Jahanbakhsh, Taremi, Amiri
England vs Iran: Prediction
Iran could have a handful of noteworthy players who might cause a fright and possibly win a surprising win, but the result will be in doubt because England is ahead in every way and their players are well-prepared. the Three Lions should begin the campaign with a straightforward victory to erase their poor performances in Nations League.
Prediction: England 3-0 Iran