According to Tasnim’s sports correspondent, some Asian countries had thought that after two defeats of the Iranian national football team in the qualifying round of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, they could easily start the project of crossing Iran, but this idea was shattered. With the changes in the staff and the powerful ascent of the national team to the final round, it became clear that the Iranian national team has not lost its power yet and now this powerful team will be the guest of the UAE in one of its crucial matches.
Our national football team has won two of its previous two games and will face the host UAE with high motivation and strength. This is in the context that the Emirati team has drawn two games in the first two games and is now 4 points away from the top of the table. They are trying hard to get to the first World Cup in the region, but tough rivals like Iran and Korea are higher than the UAE in the Group A table, and this team is not an easy task.
The UAE, which failed to win its first two games against Lebanon and Syria, is looking for its first victory with the Dutchman Brett van Marwijk and will do anything to achieve this goal against Iran. The UAE, which does not want to miss the World Cup for the second time and is looking to repeat its promotion to the 1990 World Cup in Italy with Van Marwijk, will have a tough opponent at this station. The Iranian who has participated in the World Cup five times so far and is now looking for his sixth and third consecutive ascent. The team that, after a short period of decline with Mark Wilmots, has once again become a formidable opponent for rivals with Dragan Skucic, and of course the Emirati people also know that they will not have an easy job at home and in front of their fans.
On the other hand, the Iranian national team will play in a situation where it has a high morale and motivation. The second consecutive victory against Iraq, with a decisive result of 3 to 0, both boosted the confidence of the Iranian players and was a basic line and mark for the rivals. The team that has 19 legionnaires for this camp and against the UAE and South Korea, most of whom are in good condition and are one of the most influential members of their club teams. With the scary and dangerous offensive line that is usually formed by Mehdi Taremi, Sardar Azmoun and Alireza Jahanbakhsh, who have the power to open the gates of any team in any way you can think of.
What is evident in tonight’s game of the national team is the tactical variety in scoring goals, and perhaps this issue and the strength of the game against Iran make it difficult. Sending from the wings, moving deep in defense, shooting, free-kicks and any tactic you can think of, the Iranian national team has the ability to score, and this makes it difficult to analyze the team led by Skocic. In a situation where years ago, apart from defensive work, Iran was the most obvious strength on free kicks and the rivals tried to stop the Iranian team by confronting this tactic. Now, however, achieving this goal has become a little more difficult, and for this reason, Iran’s chances of winning against the UAE are considered very high.
Perhaps we should not expect that the composition of Iran will change much compared to the previous two games. Alireza Biranvand, who was inside the goal, wants to keep his place in the national team by reaching the composition of his club team.
Given the injuries of Morteza Pourali-Ganji, Shoja Khalilzadeh and Mohammad Hossein Kananizadegan are likely to be the central defenders of the national team again, and Majid Hosseini may have less of a chance, and Sadegh Moharremi on the right side of the defense seems to be the most likely option.
Maybe a complexity like the offensive line is on the left side of the defense. Omid Nourafkan had a good performance against Iraq and is Skocic’s favorite player, but Milad Mohammadi is also in this position, who has just joined AEK Greece, and another player of this Greek team, Ehsan Hajosafi, is more efficient for the national team in the left defense position. Of course, Hajsafi is also used as a defensive midfielder.
However, in the defensive midfield, the presence of Milad Sarlak-Ahmad Nourollahi and Saeed Ezzatullahi-Ahmad Nourollahi in the two games against Syria and Iraq was used, but maybe the UAE style of play will include Saman Qudus in the midfield, which depends on Iran will have to play with two strikers or enter the field with a single striker and two shadow strikers. In different circumstances, the presence of Vahid Amiri or Ali Gholizadeh, Alireza Jahanbakhsh, Mehdi Taremi and Sardar Azmoun in the Iranian team is possible, and it remains to be seen which 11 players will be sent to the field by Skucic.
The national team is in its most critical period to reach the World Cup. Although winning the next two games will not do anything for sure, gaining 6 points against the UAE and South Korea could be a big step towards the World Cup. This is because moving away from the two main competitors in the standings will increase Iran’s chances of advancing even as the first team in the group, and the staff and national team will continue to compete with the most ease.
Now we have to wait and see what will happen in the first step of the match between Iran and the UAE, and certainly winning this game will have a direct impact on the confrontation with South Korea. For this reason, the players of our national football team or the Persian Lions have formed an alliance to defeat the Arab allies or the United Arab Emirates, and it remains to be seen whether they will achieve this important goal or not.
According to Tasnim, the match between Iran and the UAE from the third week of the final qualifying round of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar will be held from 20:15 tonight (Thursday) at Zabeel Stadium in Dubai. The national team will host South Korea next Tuesday at 5 pm at Azadi Stadium.