England vs Iran Live Streaming, FIFA World Cup: When, where to watch; TV schedule; ENG Vs IRN Updates

match preview

England manager Gareth Southgate, who is increasingly looking like the hapless hero of a hangman game, will need his team to play an entertaining game and produce a positive result in their World Cup opener against Iran to further tighten the noose. can be prevented from

A contract running until December 2024 has given Southgate no measure of comfort with recent results – a winless Nations League run – and a lack of imagination in play robbing him of all the goodwill that last year’s Euro final has offered. was offered. The manager, further handicapped by the injury-absence of the Chelsea wing-back pair of Reece James and Ben Chilwell, has much to worry about in his defense with the form of Harry Maguire struggling and the ever-reliable Kyle Walker recovering.

Up front, Harry Kane – the England captain – will be Southgate’s key man, with Raheem Sterling and Bukayo Saka operating from wide areas in a 3-4-3 system. With Leicester City’s James Maddison and Manchester City’s Calvin Phillips suspected of missing training, England could benefit from the inclusion of 19-year-old Jude Bellingham, who could bring the measured and fearlessness of youth to strike fear in the Iranian ranks Is. Veteran Declan Rice.

Managed by former Manchester United and Real Madrid coach Carlos Queiroz for the third time at the World Cup, Iran’s attacking threat will come from Mehdi Taremi, who has 28 goals in 60 appearances, as will Bayer Leverkusen forward Sardar Azmoun – the Iranian Messi – not yet is to recover from the calf injury he suffered in October.

Queiroz, known for his safety-first approach, could pack his midfield in a 4-5-1 system to give England no space to dictate terms. In the form of Alireza Jahanbakhsh and captain Ehsan Hajsafi, playing his 122nd international game, Team Melli have enough experience to threaten a confident English defence.

The world’s 20th-ranked team will come as no surprise in the first international encounter between the countries with cold diplomatic relations.