Our football match prediction:
Iran
Match Time & Date:
20/06/2018
19:00 GMT
Prediction: 0-2
Spain
Spain were on the verge of beating Portugal in the opening match of their FIFA 2018 World Cup campaign, but the two teams eventually played out a 3-3 draw in Friday’s football match. Cristiano Ronaldo spoiled Spain’s party in Sochi, but La Roja are still considered favourites to win top position in Group B. Fernando Hierro’s men are likely to go all guns blazing at Iran in their second group game and we predict that they are going to prove their worth on the field. A man to watch in Fernando Hierro’s team will be Diego Costa, who scored a brace in the 3-3 draw with Portugal. Speaking of Iran, they were more than fortunate to beat Morocco in their opener, with the African side scoring an own goal in the dying minutes of the match. Spain are more of a team than Iran and we are tempted to put our money on La Roja.
Highlighted Player (Alireza Jahanbakhsh):
Born in Jirandeh, Iran on August 11 1990, Alireza JahanBakhsh is a footballer who plays for AZ Alkmaar in Holland. Before AZ, Jahanbakhsh played for NEC in the Eredivisie, but he began his youth career at Payam Alborz Qazvin. Speaking of his senior debut, he made it with Damash Tehran in the 2010/2011 season. In 2011 he moved to fellow Iranian club Damash Gilan and it has to be noted that he scored 10 goals in 44 appearances in the league for the club. The AZ Alkmaar winger, who is used as an attacking midfielder as well, scored 21 goals in 33 appearances in the Eredivisie in the 2017/2018 season. Speaking of his international career, Alireza JahanBakhsh scored two goals for Iran on the road to Russia and he will represent his homeland at the 2018 FIFA World Cup finals. Due to his style of play, Jahanbakhsh has always been compared to legendary Iranian footballer Mehdi Mahdavikia.
Highlighted Team (Spain):
Historically, Spain have been regarded as one of top sides on international stage, but they often struggled to live up to the billing. After reaching the semi-finals at the 1950 World Cup, La Furia Roja won the European Championship trophy on home soil in 1964, but little did they know that it would remain their only trophy for another 44 years. Following some disappointing showings, Spain finally returned to the biggest stage under Vicente Del Bosque, winning three straight trophies between 2008 and 2012, before crashing out in the group stage at the 2014 World Cup. La Furia Roja enjoyed plenty of success with their tiki-taka style of play, originally designed by Barcelona, with Vicente Del Bosque’s side packed with technically skilled players such as Xavi Hernandez, Xabi Alonso, Andres Iniesta, Cesc Fabregas and David Silva. Strikers Fernando Torres and David Villa also had a major role to play in those successes, but when it comes to their famous predecessors, the likes of Alfredo Di Stefano, Michel, Emilio Butrageno, Raul Gonzalez, Fernando Morientes and Fernando Hierro should not be forgotten.
