Iran head into their World Cup meeting with Belgium still adjusting after a limited preparation period, with both sides having opened their campaigns with draws and now knowing that a win is vital in the race for the knockout stage.
Belgium Team News
Belgium were unable to produce their best performance as they were held to a 1-1 draw by Egypt in their opening World Cup match. They fell behind to an Emam Ashour goal before equalising through an own goal by Mohamed Hany, which came after sustained pressure from substitute Romelu Lukaku.
Belgium are now assessing Lukaku’s fitness ahead of the next fixture, with the striker having been introduced from the bench against Egypt. The country’s all-time leading scorer is expected to significantly strengthen their attacking options if he is deemed fit to start.
Belgium will need to improve their attack and turn their chances into goals if they want to get a good result in this game.
Iran Team News
Iran also started their World Cup campaign with a 2-2 draw against New Zealand. They showed strong fighting spirit by coming back twice from behind, with goals from Ramin Rezaeian and Mohammad Mohebi. The draw was seen as a positive result, especially because their preparation was affected by several outside factors.
All eyes are on Mehdi Taremi, who remains Iran’s main attacking threat. The captain, who has scored more than 60 international goals, is expected to lead the attack alongside either Shahriyar Moghanlou or Dennis Eckert as Iran look to break down Belgium’s defence.
Predicted Lineups
Belgium: Thibaut Courtois (GK); Thomas Meunier, Nathan Ngoy, Brandon Mechele, Timothy Castagne; Amadou Onana, Youri Tielemans; Leandro Trossard, Kevin De Bruyne, Jeremy Doku; Charles De Ketelaere.
Iran: Alireza Beiranvand (GK); Shojae Khalilzadeh, Milad Mohammadi, Ali Nemati, Ramin Rezaeian; Saeid Ezatolahi, Mohammad Mohebi, Saman Ghoddos, Aria Yousefi; Mehdi Taremi, Shahriyar Moghanlou.
Score Prediction
Belgium are still the favourites to take all three points, but Iran’s strong fighting spirit in their opening match suggests they are capable of troubling one of Group G’s strongest sides.
With Group G remaining tightly contested, a win in this match could have a major impact on the standings before the final group games. All teams are still closely matched, making every point extremely important at this stage.
Predicted score: Belgium 3-1 Iran
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