2022 World Cup: England vs Iran Odds, Picks & Predictions (Group B)

With the World Cup right around the corner, we're looking at the matchups to find our best bets for each.

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England vs. Iran (Group B)

The second match of the 2022 World Cup will take place in Al Rayyan, at Khalifa International Stadium, at 8 a.m. EST on Monday, November 21. It will be the first match from Group B when England takes on Iran. The English are heavy favorites to win Group B and are among the favorites to win the entire tournament (+800). As for Iran, let’s just focus on the fact that it was an impressive run for them to get to this point. England has waited since 1966 to hoist the World Cup trophy, but they are always a threat to go on a deep run, which is expected of them here yet again. Iran is appearing in the World Cup for the sixth time and their third consecutive time. They have yet to make it out of the group stage, and their expectations aren’t much this time, given the group they drew. The United States and Wales are both candidates to be eliminated; the only problem is they will be eliminated by each other, not by Iran. Iran may steal some points in helping decide who leaves with them, though!

In qualifying, England was nothing short of dominant. In 10 games, they scored 39 goals and allowed just three. This +36 differential showed not only why they belong here but also why they deserve all of the hype that has been built around them. They are led by Tottenham Hotspur striker Harry Kane, among a stacked crop of talent, including Manchester City’s Phil Foden and Jude Bellingham of Borussia Dortmund.

Iran is led by a duo that does most of the scoring for them. Sardar Azmoun, who had 10 goals in World Cup qualifying, is rostered on Bayer 04 Leverkusen of the German Bundesliga when he is not on international duty. He has 41 career goals in 65 matches with the Iranian National club. Medhi Taremi is their other most impactful player, scoring 27 goals in 61 appearances with the national club.

While politically they are sparring, this is actually the first meeting between these two nations on the pitch. With the UEFA Nations League not going exactly how anyone within the club would have hoped, I expect England to come out ready for this match, and for them to put it on the Iranian squad early, and then never let up to take all of the points in this first match.

The bet that goes along with this is to play England HT/FT +100. I really like this because if the England defense shows to be a bit leaky when they get a multi-goal lead, we are still protected as we just need to be winning at the end of each half to cash. I do think there is value in taking England to win to nil and also on a spread, but we want to be wise and try to maximize our value.

Bet: England HT/FT (+100)

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