FIFA World Cup 2022: Wales 0-2 Iran Replay

02:00 PM IST: Welcome to the live blog of the FIFA World Cup 2022 group stage match between Wales vs Iran.

At the World Cup, Wales and Iran have had very different starts. In their first match, Iran suffered a 2-6 humiliation against England, whereas Wales managed to salvage the draw in the match against the United States. With no wins to their backs, this is going to be a virtual knockout for both teams. Following their late comeback against the USA, however, Wales should be more confident going into the match.

Iran will aim to put on a much better performance after being dismantled from England. While their attack looked good at times, their defense exposed them. The Iranian team will have to put on a compact defensive display otherwise it will be a long match.

Wales form (all comps): D-L-L-L-D

Iran form (all comps): L-W-D-W-L

Players to Watch

Mehdi Taremi

Mehdi Taremi was the lone bright point for Iran in the opening encounter. The Porto striker scored two goals and fought the battle alone against big English defenders. He has been on a great run of form lately but will need a big hand from other players if Iran want to progress to the next round.

Gareth Bale

A glimpse of how Gareth Bale is likely to fire up things at the 2022 World Cup was evident in the first match of the tournament. The LA Galaxy forward helped Wales to fight their way back into the game by providing the attacking spark they needed. In this game in particular, Bale will be confident of tumbling Iran’s defense. 

Team News

Wales 

Wales came into the tournament with only a question mark over the fitness of Joe Allen but after a knock in the first game, eyes will be on Ethan Ampadu as well. There is also good news for them after Ramsey and Bale completed 90 minutes against the USA after doubts over their match fitness.

Iran

In Iran’s camp, there are also some injuries. Their star man Sardar Azmoun still looks way off starting the match after playing for only 13 minutes in the last match. In addition, Alireza Beiranvand, their goalkeeper, sustained a facial injury during the first match.

Predicted Lineup

Wales predicted XI:

Hennessey; Mepham, Rodon, Davies, Roberts, Allen, Ampadu, Williams, James, Bale, Moore

Iran predicted XI:

H.Hossein, Moharrami, Pouraliganji, Cheshmi, M.Hosseini, Mohammadi, Jakanbakhsh, Noorollahi, Karimi, Gholizadeh, Taremi

Head to Head stats

Wales and Iran will face off for the first time in their history