Country: Iran
Placed in Group B also featuring Spain, Portugal and Morocco.
Fixtures
June 15: Vs Morocco, 8.30pm IST (St Petersburg)
June 20: Vs Spain, 11.30pm IST (Kazan)
June 25: Vs Portugal 11.30pm IST (Saransk)
FIFA ranking: 37
Previous World Cup: Group stage
Best finish: First round (1978, 1998, 2006, 2014)
Star players:
Sardar Azmoun (Zenit Kazan striker), Saeid Ezatolahi (FC Rostov midfielder), Mahdi Taremi (Al Gharafa striker)
Coach: Carlos Queiroz
The first Asian nation to book a berth for the quadrennial extravaganza, Iran have a big jinx to break.
Though Team Melli are making it to their fifth FIFA World Cup and second in a row, they have never crossed the first hurdle. Queiroz, who has the credit of taking Iran to back-to-back World Cups, has already announced that he would be quitting after the tournament, irrespective of the outcome in Russia.
The onus is on Team Melli to give the Portuguese a fitting farewell. The former Real Madrid boss, who was also an assistant to Sir Alex Ferguson when Manchester United won the UEFA Champions League in 2008 is master tactician and he would be keen to get his team past the first round.
🔴کارلوس کیروش:
— Team Melli IRAN (@TeamMelliIran) June 9, 2018
«چشمی مدرنترین دفاعوسطی است که ایران در ۱۰ سال گذشته مانند او نداشته است!» pic.twitter.com/W0fHzLSUTN
Before heading to Russia, Iran had to cede No.1 spot in the region to Asian Cup champions Australia, but a good show in World Cup will help them reclaim that spot and that is an added incentive to perform well.
Young squad
Four years ago, a much experienced Iran won all-round praise in Brazil, especially after having held former world champions Argentina at bay for 90 minutes during the group game, before being felled by a Lionel Messi magic in the stoppage time. This time, Queiroz and Team Melli are arriving in Russia with a relatively young squad.
تمرین امروز تیم ملی با حضور هواداران pic.twitter.com/hMhZVESHzR
— Team Melli IRAN (@TeamMelliIran) June 9, 2018
In the Road to Russia, Iran were the only Asian team to go the entire qualifying campaign unbeaten. If there was one aspect that Queiroz constantly improved, it is their defensive game as Team Melli conceded just two goals in 10 matches in the third round of the qualifiers and all these factors augur well for the three-time Asian champions.
Azmoun the cynosure of all eyes
All eyes will be on Sardar Azmoun, who has quite often been touted as the heir apparent to Iranian icon Ali Daei.
As #TeamMelli gets ready for the #WorldCup, all eyes are on Sardar Azmoun, hoping one of his magical headers will do us proud. pic.twitter.com/4quzSyNQuT
— IranWire (@IranWireEnglish) June 8, 2018
The 23-year-old, is often referred to as 'Iranian Messi' currently plies his trade with Russia's Rubin Kazan and had shot to fame during the 2015 AFC Asian Cup in Australia and will be hoping to impress in Russia. He will have good support upfront from Mahdi Taremi, Alireza Jahanbakhsh and Reza Ghoochannejhad.
Strong forward line
With such a strong forward line and strong midfield which is marshalled by the ever-reliable Saeid Ezatolahi, all that Iran needs to do is to be a little more resolute at the back. If Queiroz gets his all-round tactics right, then Iran can create upsets in Russia.
Prediction: Group B is indeed tough as Iran have 2010 World Cup champions Spain, reigning European champions Portugal and Morocco for company. It is tough to see Iran coming through, but it certainly is not an impossible task for the Team Melli. The opening match against Morocco is very crucial for Queiroz and his boys if at all they want to come out of virtually what the pundits call the 'group of death'.