FIFA WORLD CUP 2018 – Morocco vs Iran PREVIEW
Morocco meet Iran in an opener of Group B. It may be the first fixture, but it’s already a make or break game! Morocco and Iran know that this game is a must win for both as they’ll have to face Portugal and Spain in the next two games. Whoever wins this game, could gain massive confidence going into facing the European giants and their chances could become realistic to actually advance from the group. A loser of this game most likely losses any little hope they have and a draw will most likely not be good for either of these teams. Not many people know much about these nations, but here’s a little preview below on what to expect and what these teams are all about and why they shouldn’t be underestimated.
MOROCCO
Morocco are a very organised team, coached by Herve Revard they have had a great run so far and are looking to surprise many people. Morocco have a really underrated side, with talented players which I’m going to get into now. First of all let’s begin with the captain and their best player Mehdi Benatia. Benatia plays for Juventus and has played in some of the biggest games in world football during his career, he’s an experienced defender and the type of player who Morocco will heavily rely on to help them advance from the group stages especially when they have to sit deep against Spain or Portugal. Benatia is one of the best CB’s in the world and Morocco know that if he can perform to his full capabilities then they’ll have a great chance to cause a shock. Morocco can’t just sit back deep however and they will have to create something themselves and a player that comes to mind instantly is Hakim Ziyech. A very talented 25 year old who plays for Ajax, he has performed really well this season scoring 9 goals and getting 15 assists in the Dutch league. The creative midfielder has a chance to show out on the biggest stage of them and possibly attract the big clubs to sign him. A very exciting prospect in the Moroccan side and I think whenever Morocco goes forward, he’s going to be at the centre of it all. They also have Boussoufa, Belhanda, Hakimi, El Ahmadi, Amrabat. A few very well known players around Europe that can also give Morocco a little bit of everything. A very good well rounded team that can defend, but also a team that can break forward too.
Morocco qualified to the world cup by getting through two stages. They first had to beat Equatorial Guinea over two legs which they did winning 2-0 in the first leg and losing the 2nd leg 1-0 therefore winning on aggregate 2-1. Then they were put in a group at their final stage with a very good Ivory Coast team, Gabon and Mali. Morocco started off slightly sloppy drawing 3 of their first 4 games by the score of 0-0 but it also showed they were very organised and eventually they broke through winning the remaining two games including beating Ivory Coast away from home 0-2 which clinched them the world cup, it was a must not lose game because had they lost, Ivory Coast would’ve advanced but Morocco did their job winning against a very good side away from home to qualify which just shows that they’re a very well rounded team and can deal with pressure. Morocco managed to go the whole final stage without conceding any goals. Their biggest win was 6-0 against Mali. They finished with 3W 3D 0L and a 11:0 GD. Very impressive. This is Morocco’s first world cup in 20 years and their 5th in total.
Morocco are going into this world cup on good form because in their 3 friendlies they drew 0-0 with Ukraine and then beat Slovakia 2-1 and took Estonia apart beating them 1-3. A very good way to prepare getting a couple wins under their belt and I’m sure Morocco will be confident going into their first world cup game.
Iran are coming into this group as the biggest underdogs without many expectations. However this is a nation that has shown the grit, fight and desire over the years and are no joke when it comes to football. Iran will make it tough on everyone during this world cup, yes even Spain and Portugal due to their solid structure defensively. Iran are a defensive team and will most likely play all of their games on the back foot, well they may go forward more often against Morocco because they’re pretty much the similar teams. Iran’s coach Carlos Queiroz has probably given Iran the most successful 7 years as a football nation in his 7 year stint. He’s revolutionized Iranian football, he’s turned them into a very successful team, one of the best Asian teams, qualified them to back to back world cups for the first time and they even gave some big nations huge problems. Iran has a very solid defence as mentioned, but I think their biggest key players here will be the attackers. Firstly let’s begin with Alireza Jahanbakhsh. Alizera plays in Europe for the Dutch AZ Alkmaar and has had a fantastic season scoring an incredible 21 Goals and also delivering 12 assists. For a midfielder to score 21 goals in simply incredible while still creating goals for other. That shows he’s a prolific goal scorer and a solid playmaker and Iran will need someone to do that because they can’t just sit back and go for 0-0 draws against everyone as it wont work. Alizera will be a huge key. Another key player is Sardar Azmoun. A player who’s been great for Iran scoring 11 goals in 14 world cup qualifiers, not much to add, a decent goal scorer and will have to take his chances at the world cup because they wont have too many. I think in the end the most important thing for Iran is team spirit, this is how they’ve got here so far and this is how they have to keep on going and let’s remember one of their best performances in 2014 when it took a 90th minute Messi magical goal for Argentina to beat Iran 1-0 under the same system. This team wont be an easy pushover.
Iran had to go through two different group stages to get to the world cup, totalling 18 games. In the first group stage they were put in with Oman, Guam, Turkmenistan and India. Iran breezed by that group without any problem picking up 6W 2D 0L scoring 26 conceding 3 and winning the group. Then in the final stage, Iran had to face tougher opposition. They faced South Korea, Syria, Uzbekistan, China and Qatar. Iran once again won the group going undefeated and finishing 7 points clear of 2nd placed South Korea. In this run Iran were very solid defensively, over the 18 games in total they conceded just FIVE goals which proves how well structured they are and at one point they kept an immense 12 clean sheets in a row. During the final stage of the qualifiers they kept 9 clean sheets in 10 games, only conceding in the last game against Syria when they already qualified. A dominant campaign By Iran. They were the 1st Asian and 2nd team around the world to qualify. This is Iran’s 2nd straight world cup and 5th in total.
During the preparation to the world cup, Iran played two games. They lost to a decent Turkey side 2-1 which is no shame because they played alright and could’ve got a draw and Turkey are decent as ive said and then they beat Lithuania 1-0 in the last minute which isn’t very convincing but they got the job done and found a way to break them down. Not to sure what to make of Iran’s form going into the world cup really, but they’ll be a tough outing.
What to Expect From The Game
We can definitely expect a tactical battle during this game. Two well structured teams who are hard to break down, but will have to go for the win because anything else probably ends their world cup hopes right away. Morocco have a few more game changers and more talent, however Iran’s team spirit is going to be very hard to beat. We shouldn’t expect many goals, it probably is going to be a game where the first goal wins. This will be a battle between two desperate teams and I think it’ll go 1-0 either way, would be linked to go with Morocco, but not underestimating Iran. Definitely going to be an interesting game to watch between two well drilled sides.
ODDS – Decimal (WilliamHill)
Morocco Win – 2.25
Draw – 2.87
Iran Win – 3.70
Kick Off – 15th June 2018 – 4PM UK Time
.png?v=1.014689135)
