World Cup 2022 England vs Iran, Tips & Predictions

England kick off their World Cup 2022 adventure against Iran at the Khalifa International Stadium on November 21st, and as one of the favourites to win the tournament outright, the Three Lions will be determined to start their Group B adventure with a bang. Little is expected of their opponents Iran in Qatar and 22bet have priced the Asian outfit as clear underdogs against England. Make sure to check out our detailed 22bet review to find out more about one of our favourite bookmakers as well as our expert betting tips for the game below.

England and Iran have never played each other before and the teams will make history when they face off for the first time in Qatar.

• Iran have won only two of the 15 fixtures they’ve played at World Cup tournaments
• England finished 3rd at the last World Cup in 2018, though they won only four of their seven matches.
• England won their opening group match in two of their last three World Cup campaigns.

England were rock-solid defensively during their World Cup qualification campaign and the Three Lions conceded just three times in ten matches on their way to topping the group. In total, Gareth Southgate’s water-tight backline kept a clean sheet in 70% of their ten assignments and they should find shutting out an ordinary Iran outfit a comfortable exercise. Start your World Cup betting journey with a bet on England to win to nil.

England to Win to Nil – 10/11

As one of the favourites to win World Cup 2022 outright, England will be keen to put down an early marker against Iran, so expect them to come out of the traps quickly. With a squad largely made up of players from Asian leagues and secondary championships in Europe, Iran lack the quality to match a high-calibre England side at the Khalifa International Stadium. With that in mind, our second prediction tips England to take command of this Group B tie early.

England to be leading at half time & full time – 1/1

England were remarkably prolific during their World Cup qualification run, indeed, their 39-goal haul was unmatched by any other nation in Europe. With players like Harry Kane and Raheem Sterling key, the ferocious Three Lions managed to score in both halves in seven out of ten fixtures in Group I and they have the firepower in the final third to notch either side of the interval again against Iran. Our final betting tip recommends backing England to score in both halves against Iran.

England to Score in Both Halves – 5/4

England

Having reached the semi-finals of World Cup 2018 and the final of Euro 2020, England will feel like they are on the cusp of landing their first piece of international silverware since 1966, and their squad has enough big tournament experience and quality to make a major splash in Qatar. Question marks remain over the team’s technical quality in central midfield, however, England have an abundance of talent in just about every other area.

Key Players: Declan Rice, Raheem Sterling and Harry Kane

Team News: Gareth Southgate has abandoned his three-man defence in favour of a more attack-minded 4-3-3 formation and that spells trouble for Harry Maguire. The centre-half has fallen out of favour at Manchester United and he could lose his place in the England XI as a result.

Predicted Lineups: Pickford – James, Stones, Dier, Chilwell – Rice, Ward-Prowse, Bellingham – Sterling, Foden, Kane

Iran

Iran breezed through qualification in Asia, losing just once in ten matches to pip Korea Republic to top spot, though Carlos Queiroz’s side aren’t expected to be quite so successful at the World Cup proper with few observers expecting them to emerge from a group they share with England, Wales and USA. Iran have made it to the World Cup four times since the 1990s, though they have never made it past the group phase.

Key Players: Mehdi Taremi, Sardar Azmoun, Alireza Jahanbakhsh

Team News: Portuguese Head Coach Carlos Queiroz’s primary focus is defence and he usually sets Iran up in a 4-1-4-1 formation, opting to keep things as tight as possible at the back. Iran will take one of the tournament’s oldest squads to Qatar.

Predicted Lineups: Abedzadeh – Moharrami, Kanani, Khalilzadeh, Noorafkan – Ezatolahi, Gholizadeh, Ghoddos, Amiri, Jahanbakhsh – Taremi

A fixture against Iran represents the easiest of starts for England in their latest effort to win an international tournament for the first time since 1966 and anything other than a victory for the Three Lions in this Group B opener would be seen as a major disappointment. Gareth Southgate’s side will expect to dominate the game against their toothless opponents and a win accompanied by a clean sheet could be on the cards.

Bet on England to Win to Nil