England vs. Iran Betting Tips: Best bets for England's World Cup opener
England take on Iran in their first game of the World Cup in Qatar on Monday and we've previewed the game and provided you with our best bets.
England vs Iran Odds
Live on BBC, England go up against Iran in the 1st group stage clash of their World Cup campaign at the Khalifa International Stadium this Monday. Gareth Southgate’s men had a near perfect World Cup qualification campaign, winning 8 and drawing 2 of their 10 games scoring a mammoth 39 goals and conceding just 3.
However, The Nations League was not too kind on them as they were relegated to the B league after finishing bottom of their group with just 3 points, not winning a single game out of the 6 they played.
As for Iran, they gained a World Cup spot after topping their qualification group with 25 points, winning 8, drawing 1 and losing just 1 game in the whole of their campaign. Iran conceded just 4 goals in the qualifiers which points towards their resolute defence and they have also beaten a top side Uruguay 1-0 in a friendly leading up to the World Cup. They will be expected to play deep and frustrate Southgate’s men and look to hit them on the counter.
On paper, this is England’s easiest game of the group and one they will be expected to win comfortably. However, Iran’s solid defence could potentially make this a tricky affair for England and the Lions will have to be at their best to start their World Cup campaign with all 3 points.
An intriguing World Cup clash awaits us and as usual, I have you covered with 2 of my best betting angles included in the preview below:
Team News:
Kyle Walker is out for England while James Maddison is doubtful.
Iran have a fully fit squad to choose from.
England possible starting lineup:
Pickford; Trippier, Stones, Maguire, Shaw; Rice, Bellingham; Sterling, Mount, Foden; Kane
Iran possible starting lineup:
Beiranvand; Moharrami, Pouraliganji, Hosseini, Mohammedi; Nourollahi, Ezatolahi, Hajsafi; Jahanbakhsh, Taremi, Amiri
England vs Iran Tips
On paper, this is England’s easiest fixture in the group and they can not afford to drop any points here. Having conceded just 3 goals in their 10 qualification games, England are strong defensively and have the players in their ranks who can break down the Iranian defence.
This Iran side will be expected to set up defensively and look for any opportunities on the counter attack but I expect the England defence to nullify those threats and keep a clean sheet in this first group stage clash. We might have to wait till the second half before we see any goals but I expect a routine victory for Gareth Southgate’s men keeping a clean sheet in the process.
Betbuilder @ 11/2 - Halftime/Fulltime - Draw/England - Jude Bellingham Over 0.5 shots on target
As I mentioned above, I expect Iran to adopt a very defensive approach for this game where they will look to frustrate England. As a result of this, we could be in a for a boring first half but we should see raised intensity levels in the second half where England’s quality should be able to make the difference. As for the second part of the Bet Builder, Jude Bellingham has been sensational for Dortmund so far this season scoring 7 goals in 20 appearances from the midfield position.
In a game where the opponents are expected to sit deep, I can see him taking a shot from outside the box or even attempting a header from a set piece. Combining these 2 selections gives us a cracking longshot @ 11/2 and i’m happy to stake a very small 0.25pt on that as our 2nd bet for this game.
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