The mixture of politics and sports can lead to some interesting results at the World Cup. That makes the match-up between Iran and Morocco very intriguing. Last month, Morocco cut diplomatic ties with Iran. Morocco accused Iran of backing the Polisario Front, an independence movement in Western Sahara, and the two sides have not re-established relations since then. While it is unlikely this affects anything on the pitch, there may be some uneasiness in the periphery for this one.
The most anticipated sporting event in the world comes around once every four years, so don’t miss any of the 2018 World Cup. This match will take place at Saint Petersburg Stadium in Saint Petersburg at 11 a.m. ET on Friday, June 15, 2018. Catch every moment of the match live on FOX.
World Cup Group Stage Betting Odds at BookMaker.eu
Iran +247
Morocco +141
Draw +190
Over/Under 1.5 and 2
Recent Form
Although many of the African teams that qualified for the World Cup are bigger names or play a more attractive brand of football, Morocco might be the best of the bunch. Morocco won the African Nations Championship earlier this year with a 4-0 thrashing of Nigeria in the final. Since then, they have been unbeaten in four friendlies. The topped Serbia and Uzbekistan in March, drew with Ukraine at the end of May, and topped Slovakia on Monday.
Iran is considered one of the longshots to win the World Cup, but they have not been in bad form. They topped Sierra Leone and Algeria in March, but they lost to fellow World Cup participant Tunisia. In May, they beat Uzbekistan and lost to Turkey, and Iran has yet to play in June. Scheduled matches against Greece and Kosovo were cancelled, leaving the nation with only Lithuania left prior to the start of the tournament.
Coaching Angle
Morocco’s coach is Herve Renard. Renard is known as something of a savant in Africa. Before leading Morocco to continental glory, he became the first manager ever to win the African Cup of Nations with two different countries. Renard won with Zambia in 2012 and followed that up by winning the tournament with the Ivory Coast three years later.
Under Renard, Morocco has focused its efforts on defense. The club plays a 4-5-1 and is very solid at the back. Juventus’ Mehdi Benatia is the captain and the leader in defense, and he implements Renard’s principles on the pitch. With Renard at the helm, Morocco has not allowed more than two goals in a match in over a year.
Player to Watch
Iran has not had much success at the World Cup. Sardar Azmoun is looking to change that. Azmoun will get some support in Russia. He has played his club ball in Russia over the last five years, scoring goals for both Rubin Kazan and Rostov.
Azmoun is the best offensive option on Iran. He is only 23 years old, but he has 23 goals for the national team in just 32 appearances. Azmoun is a player that European clubs have had an eye on for some time, and a good performance at the World Cup would lead to significant interest.
Free Soccer Betting Pick
This game has the lowest total of the first set of matches at the World Cup. Both sides lean heavily on their defense, while lacking a plethora of offensive firepower.
The chances will be few and far between, but Morocco are the better side and eventually their class will shine through. In another group, the Atlas Lions would have a shot of reaching the knockout rounds, yet they know that will be tough with Spain and Portugal in this group. It won’t be pretty, but Morocco will get the job done with a late goal.
World Cup Group Stage Odds: Morocco 1, Iran 0
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