With 26 days to go until the 2018 World Cup kicks off, we round off the ones to watch in Group B.
Having looked into Portugal, Spain and Morocco, attention turns to Iran and whether Carlos Queiroz can guide his side to the knockout stages of the World Cup for the first time in their history.
Group B is arguably the toughest group at Russia 2018, with all four teams backing their chances of progression. With Spain up against Portugal first, Iran will hope to steal a march on the European powerhouse with three points against Morocco. Easing past the Atlas Lions will be easier said than done, of course, with Herve Renard's side having not conceded in six matches in qualifying, but Iran have the quality to really pressure the Morocco backline.
There is plenty riding on Alireza Jahanbakhsh’s goalscoring form coming into the World Cup and he’ll aim to successfully transfer his stunning league form to the international stage this summer. The 24-year-old scored more goals (21) than any other Eredivisie player this season and had a direct hand in 33 goals, more than any other player.
He was one of three players to register double figures for goals and assists and was named the WhoScored.com man of the match on 14 occasions. With a WhoScored.com rating of 8.20 after a stunning campaign, the AZ Alkmaar sensation is the star man in this Iranian outfit. His international record leaves little to the imagination, but Jahanbakhsh is undoubtedly the poster boy for Iran coming into the tournament.
Opponents will focus their efforts on keeping the AZ star at bay and it may allow those around him to flourish, notably Sardar Azmoun. The striker has been dubbed the Iranian Messi in the past and boasts a fine return of 23 goals in 31 international appearances. He scored five and assisted three for Rubin Kazan in the Russian Premier League this season, a respectable return considering his slow start to his return to the side.
Azmoun’s notable international record is reason for optimism in Queiroz’s side and having gone through qualifying unbeaten, topping a group that contained South Korea, they’ll fancy their chances in Russia, even considering their opponents next month. However, away from Iran, they faltered. Two wins from five is respectable, but just two goals scored, and admittedly zero conceded, is a worry ahead of the World Cup. However, if they can hit the ground running, Iran could be ones to be wary of, particularly if Jahanbakhsh and Azmoun can bring their excellent form to Russia.
