Belgium will look for their leading men to shine in the city of stars as they aim to inject life into their World Cup campaign with victory over Iran in Los Angeles.
The Red Devils were held to a 1-1 draw by Egypt in their opening game, with the opening round of results in Group G leaving all four teams level on a point apiece.
Belgium had to come from behind to claim a point in Seattle, Romelu Lukaku making an instant impact coming off the bench as he pressured Mohamed Hany into turning a low cross into his own net.
It was otherwise a frustrating day for Belgium as the likes of Kevin De Bruyne, Jeremy Doku, Leandro Trossard and Youri Tielemans struggled to influence the game.
While doubts over Lukaku’s fitness may again limit how much he can be involved, Belgium will be confident of their stars having more joy going forward against an Iran side that had problems containing New Zealand in a 2-2 draw with the lowest-ranked side in the tournament.
Iran are competing in the World Cup while dealing with significant logistical challenges.
Having moved their base camp from Arizona to Mexico amid their country’s war with the United States and Israel, Iran have been forced to travel internationally for each of their group stage fixtures, all held in the US. They are required by US authorities to enter the country within 24 hours of a game and depart on the same day.
Iran lodged a complaint with FIFA over the travel restrictions, with coach Amir Ghalenoei describing his side as the “most oppressed” team at the World Cup.
However, Andrew Giuliani, the executive director of the White House’s World Cup task force, has said those restrictions are open to renegotiation. The US and Iran reached an initial peace agreement this week.
It is against that backdrop that Iran return to Los Angeles eyeing a stunning upset that would likely be enough to see them make history by reaching the knockout rounds for the first time. Scrutiny on Belgium will increase substantially if that scenario comes to pass.
Team news for Belgium v Iran
Belgium will again be without defender Zeno Debast.
Iran’s Roozbeh Cheshmi (hamstring) and Saman Ghoddos (ankle) are doubts.
Predicted line-ups for Belgium v Iran
Belgium: Courtois; Meunier, Ngoy, Mechele, De Cuyper; Onana, Tielemans; Trossard, De Bruyne, Doku; De Ketelaere
Iran: Beiranvand; Rezaeian, Khalilzadeh, Nemati, Mohammadi; Mohebi, Ezatolahi, Ghoddos, Ghayedi; Taremi, Moghanlou
Where to watch Belgium v Iran: TV and online streams
Belgium v Iran kicks off at 8:00pm UK time on Sunday. It will be broadcast on ITV1 and STV. It will be available to stream via ITVX and the STV Player. Sky subscribers can also stream the game via Sky Go.
Stats for Belgium v Iran
- This will be the first meeting between Belgium and Iran.
- Belgium have scored only one goal across their last three World Cup games.
- The Red Devils have lost just one of their seven World Cup matches against AFC opponents (W4, D2). That defeat came against Saudi Arabia in 1994.
- Iran have faced UEFA opponents 10 times at the World Cup, losing seven games and drawing two. Their lone win was against Wales at the 2022 tournament.
- Only two of their last seven World Cup matches have seen Iran fail to score.
- At the same time, they have kept just two clean sheets across that span.
Prediction for Belgium v Iran
The defensive failings Iran showed against New Zealand should have Belgium salivating, even if they were far from convincing against Egypt.
Prediction: Belgium 2-1 Iran
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