Wales 2-1 Iran: What’s your prediction?
Wales rescued a 1-1 draw against USA in their opening match courtesy of a late penalty converted by their talisman Gareth Bale, who netted his 41st international goal, and the forward will be counted on again versus Iran in what amounts to a must-win game for both sides.
In their opening match, Iran were thrashed 6-2 by England as winger Mehdi Taremi scored a brace which could account for only consolation as the Persians were far from what they promised. But Iran will yet bank on Taremi and striker Azmoun to make it count for them, while the same can be said for Wales who would look to Bale to provide the goods.
Wales would want their forwards to be on the same wavelength after failing to find that chemistry in the first match and as for Iran, they would look to keep it tight at the back and put on a better show in transitions after being torn apart by England.
When?
25th November, 04:00 pm, Bangladesh time
Where?
Ahmad bin Ali Stadium, Al-Rayyan, Qatar
Head-to-head
Wales 1
Iran 0
Prediction: Wales 2-1 Iran
Key stats:
* Wales captain Gareth Bale will become their most capped player of all time when he makes his 110th appearance in their second Group B game against Iran on Friday. The forward overtakes teammate Chris Gunter, who is on the bench for the game at the Ahmad bin Ali Stadium.
* Wales are looking to qualify for the knockout stages for the first time since 1958 - their last appearance at the World Cup.
* No Welsh player has scored more goals at major tournaments than Gareth Bale, who grabbed his fourth with a late penalty against the United States in their group opener.
* Iran are bottom of the group with the worst goal difference after England thrashed them 6-2 in their group opener.
* Iran have never gone past the group stage and have won only one of their last 11 matches at the World Cup, a 1-0 win over Morocco four years ago.
Previous meetings:
* Wales beat Iran 1-0 in their only meeting in a 1978 friendly, with Phil Dwyer scoring the winner.
Lineups
Wales: (3-5-2) Wayne Hennessey (GK), Neco Williams, Ben Davies, Chris Mepham, Joe Rodon, Harry Wilson, Aaron Ramsey, Gareth Bale, Connor Roberts, Ethan Ampadu, Kieffer Moore.
Iran: (4-4-2) Seyed Hossein Hosseini (GK), Ehsan Hajsafi, Milad Mohammadi, Saeid Ezatolahi, Morteza Pouraliganji, Mehdi Taremi, Ali Gholizadeh, Majid Hosseini, Sardar Azmoun, Ahmad Nourollahi, Ramin Rezaeian
Following is a statbox on Wales at the World Cup.
FIFA Ranking: 19
Odds: 100-1
Previous tournaments:
Wales have appeared in only one World Cup, in 1958, when they drew all three of their group stage games before sneaking into the knockouts with a playoff victory over Hungary. They were knocked out in the quarter-finals with a 1-0 defeat by eventual champions Brazil, with Pele scoring the winner.
How they qualified
Wales ended a 64-year wait for a place at the World Cup by beating Ukraine 1-0 in a playoff final after a 2-1 victory over Austria in the last four. Rob Page's side had sealed second place in their qualifying group behind Belgium.
Form guide
After qualifying, Wales' form hit the rocks and they head to the World Cup without a win since beating Ukraine to book their spot. They finished a distant last in their Nations League group and were relegated to the second tier after home and away losses to Netherlands and Poland plus a draw and defeat versus Belgium.
Following is a statbox on Iran at the World Cup.
FIFA Ranking: 20
Odds: 500-1
Previous tournaments:
Iran have reached their third World Cup in a row but have yet to move beyond the group phase. They first qualified in 1978 and also featured in 1998 and 2006 before appearing in 2014 and 2018. Four years ago in Russia was their best performance, when a win over Morocco and a draw with Portugal saw them narrowly miss out on a place in the knockout rounds.
How they qualified
Iran dominated Group A of Asia's final round of preliminaries, topping their group by two points ahead of South Korea. Led by Dragan Skocic, Team Melli lost just once, a 2-0 defeat by the Koreans when qualification was already secured.
Form guide
Carlos Queiroz was reappointed head coach in September as a replacement for Skocic and since the return of the Portuguese the Iranians have notched up a 1-0 win over Uruguay and a 1-1 draw with Senegal during a training camp in Austria.