Iran will take on Cristiano Ronaldo and the rest of Portugal on Monday, June 25th at 2pm Eastern time in Saransk, Russia for game number 36 of the Group Stage for the 2018 World Cup. The two countries have played each other twice, once in 1972, and more recently in 2006. Portugal won both matches, and according to our World Cup Betting, they are favorites to win this match as well. With a potent offense that features one of the greatest footballers ever, Portugal is an imposing opponent for a team like Iran, who is accustomed to playing inferior teams from their region and don't have much experience versus a high-octane offense like Portugal.
Iran
There was never much hope for Iran in this tournament, having to face off in a group with two of the best teams in all of international soccer, but so far they have made the best of their opportunity, defeating Morocco in the first game and holding Spain scoreless until the 54th minute of their second match. This sets up a situation for Iran to come into their final game with the possibility to still advance with a win or a tie and a Spain loss to Morocco. Since it was never really in the cards for this team to make it to the knockout round, it is hard to imagine a better result up to this point. Iran manager Carlos Queiroz will need tremendous performances from the top down if Iran is going to get out of the group stage, and will look to Winger Alireza Jahanbakhsh, Striker Sardar Azmoun and midfielder Saman Ghoddos to come through for him.
Portugal
Portugal has a chance to finish first in this group if they outscore Spain in their match against Morocco. The two teams are currently tied with 4 goals apiece, and given that both teams win their games on Monday, the difference in the standings will come down to goal differential. Portugal has the tougher matchup in this sense, as Iran has what may be the most stifling defense in the entire tournament. Dating back one year, Iran has only conceded 6 goals over the course of 12 games, Iran has only conceded 6 goals. Further, while Portugal is a much more well rounded team compared to their other World Cup appearances, they are still a bit of a one-man show. Up to this point, Ronaldo has scored every single one of their goals in this tournament, meaning that if Iran can stop him, they have a chance at stopping Portugal and advancing to the knockout stage for the first time in their history.
Match Overview
This game should be an easy win for Portugal, who is in tight competition with Spain for the top spot in this group. Iran meanwhile has little chance of advancing in a group with two soccer superpowers, but thanks to a win against Morocco and their ability to hold powerful Spain to only a goal, they give themselves a chance to advance with a win in this game. Still, while they do have an imposing defense and are boasting more firepower on the attack than in previous world Cups, Iran is still no match for Portugal's new golden generation of players, who should win this game without much of an issue.
