England kick off their World Cup campaign in Group B against an Iran side built on defensive organisation and structure with the familiar face of Carlos Queiroz in charge of the team.
Queiroz served as Manchester United assistant under Sir Alex Ferguson from 2002-03 and 2004-08 and will be well-versed in the English game and what approach Gareth Southgate is likely to bring to the opening encounter.
A fifth-favourite to lift the World Cup, Southgate’s side will be very much expected to win - although the Three Lions have been victorious in just two of their five openers in this competition - but Team Melli could prove a tough nut to crack having conceded just five goals in eight games this year and beaten Uruguay and drawn with Senegal in international friendlies.
In what will be a whistle-stop group campaign - their final fixture at this stage is just eight days away, against Wales - a strong start will be imperative in what could be a tight group.
Where and when?
The game kicks off at 1pm (UK time) at the 45,000-capacity Khalifa International Stadium in Al Rayyan. The stadium was first built in 1976 and has been renovated for the World Cup. It played host to the 2019 Club World Cup final in which Liverpool beat Flamengo of Brazil 1-0.
How to watch
The game will be televised on BBC One, while the match can also be streamed live on BBC iPlayer and the BBC iPlayer app, as well as the BBC Sport website. Coverage begins at 12pm.
Form guide and head-to-head record
England: D L L D D
Iran: W D W L W
This is the first ever meeting between the sides.
Team news and predicted line up
Gareth Southgate will be without midfielder Kalvin Phillips (shoulder) and James Maddison (knee) plus defender Kyle Walker (groin). Reports on Sunday night indicated that Bukayo Saka will be preferred ahead of Manchester City’s Phil Foden in an attacking midfield role.
Iran coach Carlos Queiroz will make a late decision on Bayer Leverkusen forward Sardar Azmoun (calf).
England (4-3-3, probable): Jordan Pickford; Kieran Trippier, John Stones, Harry Maguire, Luke Shaw; Declan Rice, Jude Bellingham, Mason Mount; Raheem Sterling, Harry Kane, Bukayo Saka
Iran (4-5-1, probable): Alireza Beyranvand; Sadegh Moharrami, Morteza Pouraliaganji, Majid Hosseini, Milad Mohammadi; Alireza Jahanbakhsh, Ahmad Noorollahi, Saeid Ezatolahi, Ehsan Hajisafi, Vahid Amiri; Mehdi Taremi
