Fifa World Cup Group B gets under way on Monday, our focus is on the game between England and Iran but we also take a look at the clash between USA and Wales
Odds provided by @Betway_za are correct at the time of writing but are subject to change.
Group A also includes the Netherlands and Senegal who will clash on Monday.
England v Iran
England:
On paper this looks like a favourable draw for England but they have been in poor form for the bulk of this year, drawing 3 and losing 3 of their last 6 internationals.
They were beaten semi finalists under Gareth Southgate in the 2018 World Cup and they went on to finish as runners up to Italy in the Euro's last year, losing a Wembley final on spot kicks.
England coasted through qualifying with 8 wins and 2 draws to top their group 6 points clear of Poland with Albania third.
Iran
Iran will be another unknown quantity to many but they topped their qualification group with 8 wins, 1 draw and 1 defeat to finish 2 points clear of South Korea.
Their only loss in that campaign came away to South Korea and Carlos Queiroz has recently returned as coach. Iran impressed in the 2018 World Cup beating Morocco and drawing with Portugal but a 1-0 defeat to Spain saw them come up just short of making the knockout rounds. Warm up results include a 1-0 win over Uruguay, a 1-1 draw with Senegal and a 2-0 defeat to Tunisia
The Betting
England are currently 0.37/1 to win the game with the draw at 36/10 and Iran can be backed at around 10/1
A game of 3 goals or more is priced at 5/4 and it's 19/10 for both teams to score.
Note, odds are correct at the time of writing but are subject to change
The Verdict:
Their are question marks against England defensively but the attacking talent they possess is hard to get away from even though Iran's record in qualifying was probably better than the rank outsider quotes suggest.
A decent start is crucial for England as Southgate came under fire in what was a poor build up. Harry Kane is the go to man for goals and I fancy he will be on target here. Using a little more imagination I will go with dead ball specialist Kieran Trippier to provide an assist
Bets: Anytime goalscorer, Harry Kane at even money with Betway
Player Assists, Kieran Trippier, 1 or more at 32/10 with Betway
Note, odds are correct at the time of writing but are subject to change
USA 1.55/1 Draw 2/1 Wales 2.15/1
USA finished third in North and Central America qualifying behind Canada and Mexico to book their ticket without the need for a play off. They won 7 of 14 group matches, drawing 4 and losing 3. USA did not make the 2018 finals but they did make the knockout rounds in 2010 and 2014.
This tournament will mean a lot to Wales who are in their first finals for 64 years. They qualified the hard way, getting the better of Austria (2-1) and then Ukraine (1-0) in home play offs. They finished a distant second to Belgium in their qualifying group, edging out the Czech Republic with Estonia and Belarus well adrift.
Verdict:
Wales were pretty good in qualifying and they may well be more pumped up for this tournament than many of the nations. It looks a tricky call but I'm with Wales to find the net and the anytime scorer interest comes in the shape of Daniel James.
Bets: Anytime goalscorer Dan James at 48/10 with Betway
More tips, news and views are available on the Fifa World Cup thread on our discussion forum. If you are new to our community you can open an account here.
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