England vs. Iran: Top Storylines, Odds, Live Stream for World Cup 2022
England comes into the 2022 FIFA World Cup as the favorite to win Group B and one of the sides that will be backed to make a deep run in Qatar.
The Three Lions kick off their World Cup campaign on Monday morning at 8 a.m. ET against Iran.
Iran is viewed as the weakest team in Group B, which also features the United States and Wales, but it is 20th in the FIFA men's world rankings.
Both nations were dominant during their World Cup qualifying campaigns. England earned 26 points out of a possible 30 and finished with a +36 goal differential. Iran took 25 of a possible 30 points and had a goal differential of +11.
The big difference between the two Group B foes is that most of England's roster comes from the English Premier League.
England has the best collection of talent in the group and it is expected to win Monday's opener no matter how tough Iran is to break down.
England vs. Iran Odds and Info
Match Odds
Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook.
England (-290; bet $290 to win $100)
Iran (+1000; bet $100 to win $1000)
Draw (+380)
Over 2.5 Goals (+130); Under 2.5 Goals (-160)
Match Info
Date: Monday, November 21
Start Time: 8 a.m. ET
TV: FS1
Live Stream: FoxSports.com and Fox Sports app
England Looking to Put Injuries Aside and Win Group Opener
England comes into Qatar with injury issues across its back line.
Reece James and Ben Chilwell were left out of the squad due to injuries picked up at Chelsea prior to the World Cup. Kyle Walker is dealing with an injury of his own that will likely keep him out of Monday's opener.
Three Lions boss Gareth Southgate had to dip into his defensive reserves to put together his 26-man roster. Lucky for him, Ben White, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Kieran Trippier and Luke Shaw are all solid full-backs.
Southgate needs to figure out which combination of players will work best on the flanks to deal with a sneakily dangerous Iranian attack, led by FC Porto striker Mehdi Taremi.
England can't afford any slip-ups in the back as it tries to open Group B with three points.
A victory on Monday is vital to set the tone for the tournament, but also to give the Three Lions some insurance. The United States and Wales could be tough opponents and every point could end up being massive in the chase for knockout-round positions.
England is not lacking in options up top, where reigning Golden Boot winner Harry Kane leads the line. Marcus Rashford, Bukayo Saka and Raheem Sterling are among the other potential scoring options on the roster.
The Three Lions are expected to control possession and the majority of the significant chances. They can put the injury woes to the side if they score an early goal or two and make Iran come out of its defensive shell.
That scenario could allow England's available full-backs to surge forward more and create even more scoring opportunities for Kane and Co.
A win is expected for England, but Iran's defense will try to make earning that result difficult.
Iran Banking on Defense to Earn Result
Iran's path to a surprising run into the knockout round starts with its strong defense.
Iran conceded on four occasions in the third round of AFC World Cup qualifying and it did the same in the final round to reach Qatar as the group winner.
The Asian nation posted a clean sheet and conceded once in its two matches with South Korea. who also qualified for Qatar from Group A of AFC World Cup qualifying.
In five friendlies since the qualification process ended, Iran has allowed five goals, conceding twice in a 2-1 loss to Algeria.
Iran earned a shutout against Uruguay on September 23, but it also conceded twice to Tunisia on November 16 and let up one goal to Senegal on September 27.
Iran's sturdy back line will be put to the test right away by Harry Kane. Iran does not have the attacking firepower to score in a high-scoring affair with England, so it needs to keep the group favorite to one or two goals.
A low-scoring game could allow Taremi or Bayer Leverkusen's Sardar Azmoun to create a moment of individual brilliance in attack to earn a shocking result.
Iran's most likely scenario is that it goes into preservation mode and tries to not damage its goal differential beyond repair in one game. A 1-0, 2-1 or 2-0 defeat would be a better result with weaker opponents up in its next two contests.
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