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IR Iran are well-placed in the top two of Group A with three points separating them from the chasing pack, but they can’t afford to take their foot off the gas vs Qatar, who are coming off the back of their first victory of the third qualifying round.
KICK-OFF DATE/TIME: Tuesday October 15th 2024: UK – 5:00pm / US ET – 12:00pm / US PT – 9:00am
HOW TO WATCH ON TV: UK – Not televised / US – Not televised
HOW TO WATCH ONLINE: UK – Bet365 & FIFA+ / US – FIFA+
IR IRAN PREVIEW: UNBEATEN AFTER THREE GAMES AND DEFENSIVELY SOUND
IR Iran are the only nation in Group A who have still not conceded a single goal, but on the flip-side, they’ve only scored two themselves, the least of any team in the group. This is something they’ll need to address after being held to a goalless draw against Uzbekistan, further underlining their offensive struggles of late.
QATAR PREVIEW: WIN OVER KYRGYZ REPUBLIC A POTENTIAL CAMPAIGN KICKSTARTER
It was a must-win game for Qatar against a struggling Kyrgyz Republic and they duly got the result they needed, winning 3-1 in Doha. That result took them to four points and fourth-place in the group and another victory here would bring them level on points with their opponents, a huge turnaround in such a short period of time.
IR IRAN TEAM NEWS: RED CARD VS UZBEKISTAN RULES OUT HARDANI
PREDICTED XI (4-2-3-1): Beiranvand; Hazbavi, Khalilzadeh, Nemati, Mohammadi; Mohebi, Ezatolahi; Jahanbakhsh, Ghoddos, Ghayedi; Taremi
UNAVAILABLE:
QUESTIONABLE: Sayfiev (Injured)
QATAR TEAM NEWS: QATAR LIKELY TO PACK THE MIDFIELD AND STIFLE IR IRAN’S CREATIVITY
PREDICTED XI (4-5-1): Barsham; Mohammad, Khoukhi, Mendes, Fadlalla; Hatem, Fathi, Moustafa, Afif, Junior; Ali
UNAVAILABLE:
QUESTIONABLE:
IR IRAN VS QATAR PREDICTION
IR Iran have to play at a neutral venue due to the troubles in that part of the world so they this match takes place in Dubai. That will likely benefit the Qataris to a degree compared to playing in Iran so that is something the Iranians will have to try overcome.
However, they can take confidence from their previous meetings with Qatar. Iran are unbeaten in the last eight World Cup qualifying matches between these two teams (W5 D3) and they have not conceded a goal in the last four World Cup qualifying matches between the pair. Their defensive record is outstanding and they have kept 11 clean sheets in their last 14 World Cup qualifying matches.
Iran will arguably be more motivated than ever not to let this neutral venue detract from their chances of qualifying for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. When considering their strong head-to-head record against Qatar and their impressive defensive record combined, backing them to win to nil here looks a shrewd move.
IR IRAN VS QATAR TIP: IR IRAN TO WIN TO NIL