After securing a 1-1 draw against the USA in their first Fifa World Cup match for 64 years, Wales will return to the Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium on Friday to take on Iran.
With Gareth Bale’s late penalty earning a crucial point from their World Cup group B opener, Robert Page’s “spirited” side know that a victory over the Iranians will put them in “a strong position to reach the knockouts”, said Reuters. Iran started their group B campaign with a heavy 6-2 defeat against England.
Despite the Iran result, Page is expecting a “tough game” and he believes his side are still the underdogs to qualify from the group. “England are favourites, USA are second favourites,” he said. “But there will be a few surprises along the way. We’re just planning for a tough game on Friday and that takes us into the last game against England.”
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Wales have been given a boost with the news that Joe Allen is ready to play against the US. The Swansea midfielder is “fit and raring to go” after his hamstring injury, Page said, and the boss has “a decision to make” on “what’s best for the team”.
Anything other than victory will leave Iran facing “an early exit” from Qatar 2022, said Daniel Lewis on The Analyst. However, head coach Carlos Queiroz still has faith in his players. “What I can say as a conclusion is we win or learn,” he said. “We had the privilege to learn a lot of things against England and we are much better prepared now to play against Wales.”
The two sides have only faced each other once before in men’s international football, with Wales winning 1-0 in a friendly match in 1978.
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Wales captain Gareth Bale scored the vital penalty against the USA
(Image credit: Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)
How to watch on TV in the UK
Friday’s clash between Wales and Iran will be shown live on BBC One and BBC iPlayer. Coverage begins at 9.15am, with kick-off at 10am. Presenter Gabby Logan is joined in the studio by former Wales internationals Ian Rush and Ashley Williams and German World Cup winner Jürgen Klinsmann. The match is also live on Welsh-language channel S4C.
Team news
The half-time introduction of Wales striker Kieffer Moore “transformed the game” against the USA, said Ben Fisher in The Guardian. He “has to start” against Iran and accompany captain Bale in attack.
All 26 Wales players trained on Wednesday, including Joe Allen. The Swansea midfielder has not played since September because of a hamstring issue and his return to full training is a “huge boost”, said Ash Rose in the Daily Mail.
Iran goalkeeper Alireza Beiranvand was substituted after suffering a head injury against England and may not be fit enough to start on Friday. Hossein Hosseini could again deputise between the sticks. Star man Sardar Azmoun was fit enough to come on in the first game and could start in attack with Mehdi Taremi, who scored twice in the 6-2 loss.
A Wales win – “something they have not achieved in their past six matches” – is predicted as the “most likely outcome” at 49.4%, according to The Analyst’s “supercomputer”. There is a 27.6% likelihood of the match ending in a draw, and a 23.2% chance of Iran winning.
The Independent’s Alex Pattle backs Wales to “pick up their first win” of this World Cup, but “not without a little trouble along the way”. Prediction: Wales 2 Iran 1.
Considering just how poorly Iran defended against England, “Moore and Gareth Bale should feel confident of causing problems”, said Jonathan Gorrie in the London Evening Standard. Prediction: Wales 2 Iran 1.
Wales have a “slight advantage” in terms of squad quality, said Shubham Dupare on SportsKeeda. And, as they usually do well in competitive games, “we are backing them to secure a narrow win”. Prediction: Wales 2 Iran 1.
Page’s side will be regarded as the “marginal favourites” for this contest, said Darren Plant on SportsMole. However, with Iran having “more recovery time” and “playing at a time of the day which should benefit them”, we can see a “competitive low-scoring draw”. Prediction: Wales 1 Iran 1.
The stadium
Inspired by the sand dunes, you’ll find Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium on the edge of the desert in Al Rayyan, west of Doha. The 40,000-capacity venue will host seven World Cup matches, six in the group stage and one round of 16 tie.
Squads
Wales
Head coach: Robert Page
Key player: Gareth Bale
One to watch: Brennan Johnson
Goalkeepers: Wayne Hennessey (Nottingham Forest), Danny Ward (Leicester City), Adam Davies (Stoke City)
Defenders: Neco Williams (Nottingham Forest), Ben Davies (Tottenham Hotspur), Ben Cabango (Swansea City), Joe Rodon (Rennes, on loan from Tottenham Hotspur), Chris Mepham (Bournemouth), Ethan Ampadu (Spezia, on loan from Chelsea), Chris Gunter (AFC Wimbledon), Connor Roberts (Burnley), Tom Lockyer (Luton Town)
Midfielders: Aaron Ramsey (Nice), Joe Allen (Swansea City), Harry Wilson (Fulham), Joe Morrell (Portsmouth), Dylan Levitt (Dundee United), Rubin Colwill (Cardiff City), Jonny Williams (Swindon Town), Matthew Smith (Milton Keynes Dons), Sorba Thomas (Huddersfield Town)
Forwards: Gareth Bale (Los Angeles FC), Dan James (Fulham, on loan from Leeds United), Kieffer Moore (Bournemouth), Mark Harris (Cardiff City), Brennan Johnson (Nottingham Forest)
Midfielders: Ahmad Noorollahi (Shabab Al Ahli), Saman Ghoddos (Brentford), Vahid Amiri (Persepolis), Saeid Ezatolahi (Vejle), Alireza Jahanbakhsh (Feyenoord), Mehdi Torabi (Persepolis), Ali Gholizadeh (Charleroi), Ali Karimi (Kayserispor)
Mike Starling is the former digital features editor at The Week. He started his career in 2001 in Gloucestershire as a sports reporter and sub-editor and has held various roles as a writer and editor at news, travel and B2B publications. He has spoken at a number of sports business conferences and also worked as a consultant creating sports travel content for tourism boards. International experience includes spells living and working in Dubai, UAE; Brisbane, Australia; and Beirut, Lebanon.
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