Wednesday at the World Cup concludes with the former champions Spain looking to pick up their first win in the tournament when they take on the surprise Group B leaders after the first round of matches in the form of Iran.
The winners of this match will go into the final round of games on top of the group and in control of their own destiny so there is a great deal of importance to this one as they jostle for positions.
Iran
In many ways we did not know exactly what to expect from Iran going into the tournament. They qualified well and that always needed to be respected but at the same time kept at arm’s length but we saw an average side in their first match against Morocco it must be said. They were compact defensively but offered very little of note in attacking areas.
I expected Iran to look to get on the front foot and take the game to their African opponents in that first game given that they are unlikely to beat either Spain or Portugal but that never really happened. Now that they got their fortune when Morocco gifted them a win it will be interesting to see whether they shut up shop and play for a point in the next two games and whether they are good enough to carry that plan through.
Spain
There is no doubt the award for the most troubled preparation in the lead up to the tournament went to Spain. When they sacked their manager on the eve of the event there was a fear that the move would be the start of everything coming unstuck for the Spanish but those concerns were put to bed in emphatic style in their first match.
They came out of the blocks with an attacking ruthlessness which will serve them well in the tournament and if they can tighten up their defence, which they should do given that they are not up against the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo in this match, then I would expect Spain to be fairly comfortable from here on in.
Team News
Iran will be without defender Rouzbeh Cheshmi after he injured himself in training and has been ruled out for the remainder of the campaign. Reza Khanzadeh is in line to replace the departing player.
Spain are widely expected to be unchanged from the 3-3 draw with Portugal last week which means that Diego Costa will get another chance through the middle after his brace in that game. Iago Aspas will have to come off the bench once again.
[the_ad_group id=”3624″]
Betting
As with the second match there is only one bet to consider here in my eyes and that is for Spain to win to nil. Iran are unlikely to see too much of the ball in this match and while the days where you need all of the ball to succeed have gone when you don’t have much of it you need a clinical edge or a real potency going forward and Iran don’t have that.
It is going to take something special for Iran to get anything out of this match and while I expect them to be more competitive than many would expect and not take a real beating I expect them to be beaten and I don’t see them generating enough pressure for a goal to be a certainty.
Tips
WON – Back Spain to win to nil for a 4/10 stake at 1.83 with BetVictor
Back them here:
Copyright secured by Digiprove © 2018
