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Evening Standard
Evening Standard
Sport
Simon Collings

Iran World Cup 2022 guide: Star player, fixtures, squad, one to watch, odds to win

Iran have never made it past the group stage of a World Cup but they could prove tricky opposition in Qatar.

Former Manchester United assistant Carlos Queiroz is back in charge for a second stint after walking away from the job towards the end of 2019.

Here’s everything you need to know about Iran…

Coach: Carlos Queiroz. Sir Alex Ferguson’s former right-hand man, this is the third time he will lead Iran at a World Cup.

Captain: Ehsan Hajsafi. AEK Athens defender brings a wealth of experience to the defence and will be vital to Iran’s chances of success.

Star player: Mehdi Taremi. Has scored plenty of goals for Porto and was linked with Arsenal in January.

One to watch: Sardar Azmoun. His nickname is ‘the Iranian Messi’, which says it all really.

Bayer Leverkusen winger Sardar Azmoun will be looking to shine for his country (AFP via Getty Images)

World ranking: 20th

Odds: 500/1

Best thing about them: Defensive solidity and scoring goals on counterattacks.

Worst thing about them: They have struggled to score goals against so-called weaker opposition.

Their prospects in three words: Early exit likely.

Fixtures (all times GMT)

November 21 vs England (1pm)

November 25 vs Wales (10am)

November 29 vs USA (7pm)

Squad in full

Goalkeepers: Alireza Beiranvand, Hossein Hosseini, Payam Niazmand, Amir Abedzadeh

Defenders: Ramin Rezaeian, Abolfazl Jalali, Hossein Kananizadegan, Shoja Khalilzadeh, Mortza Pouraliganji, Majid Hosseini, Sadegh Moharrami, Milad Mohammadi, Ehsan Hajisafi

Midfielders: Saeid Ezatolahi, Ahmad Nourollahi, Ali Karimi, Rouzbeh Cheshmi, Vahid Amiri, Mehdi Torabi, Alireza Jahanbakhsh, Ali Gholizadeh, Saman Ghoddos

Forwards: Sardar Azmoun, Karim Ansarifard, Mehdi Taremi

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