England vs Iran Predictions

• England conceded just two goals in normal time in their seven Euro 2020 fixtures.
• England won to nil in seven of their World Cup qualifiers.
• Iran have scored just three goals in their last two World Cup appearances.

Three Lions look to rediscover form

England will be hoping the form book goes out of the window as they open their World Cup campaign in Doha on Monday afternoon but Gareth Southgate’s men should have enough about them to see off Iran fairly comfortably.

The last international break saw the Three Lions’ torrid form continue as their winless streak was extended to six matches, although the three goals scored against Germany did at least end their goalscoring drought and get 2018’s Golden Boot winner Harry Kane back on the scoresheet for his country.

Familiar England setup expected

Of course, even when not in form captain Kane is the first name on the teamsheet and he is likely to be joined by a host of regulars in what I expect to be a 3-4-3 setup.

Raheem Sterling and Phil Foden are the frontrunners for the three-man attack, while Jude Bellingham and Declan Rice have proven a solid partnership in the middle of the park and could be flanked by Luke Shaw and Kieran Trippier. At the back, with Kyle Walker still an injury doubt, a trio of Eric Dier, John Stones and Harry Maguire makes sense, with Jordan Pickford continuing between the sticks.

Queiroz returns for Team Melli

Iran tend to opt for a 4-1-4-1 formation and have a few standout names going forward such as Bayer Leverkusen’s Sardar Azmoun, Porto’s Mehdi Taremi and Alireza Jahanbakhsh. However, with Carlos Queiroz back at the helm it is not expected to be a free-flowing, attack-minded side.

Team Melli have enjoyed a few solid results in friendlies since Queiroz returned in September, beating Uruguay and Nicaragua 1-0 either side of a draw with Senegal, but their World Cup record leaves a lot to be desired.

They have won just two World Cup games in their history, losing nine times and drawing four, and have scored just three goals in the last two World Cup instalments.

Kane to fire favourites to three points

England conceded just two goals in seven games in Euro 2020 and won to nil four times. They won seven of their World Cup qualifiers without conceding, too, so combined with the Iranian’s cautious approach backing England to win to nil looks a solid bet for their opener.

Six of the Three Lions’ seven Euro 2020 outings produced fewer than three goals, though, and seven of Iran’s last eight World Cup games have been low scoring, making under 2.5 goals another excellent option and a repeat of Iran’s last competitive defeat – a 2-0 loss to South Korea – a good choice in the correct score market.

It’s hard to look beyond Harry Kane as an anytime goalscorer tip. He won the Golden Boot four years ago in Russia and netted four times in Euro 2020. The England captain has scored 12 Premier League goals already this season and is heading to Qatar in excellent form.

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