Catch up on all the team news ahead of tonight’s World Cup clash between Belgium and Iran – where Belgium will have to deliver the goods after the disappointment against Egypt.
Belgium will have to correct the mistakes from the opening match. After a 1-1 draw against Egypt, the pressure is high, and three points against Iran are almost a necessity to keep their hopes of group victory alive.
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The Red Devils had to fight hard for the point against the pharaohs, but they managed it – and still have everything in their own hands. Iran, on the other hand, also has ambitions for advancement. After a draw against New Zealand in their opening match, they know that a result against Belgium will give them a great opportunity to make history.
Belgium with four changes – Lukaku starts
Belgium will field a significantly changed team from the opening match. Romelu Lukaku goes straight into the starting eleven – a clear signal that Belgium will have more weight going forward.
Maxim De Cuyper, Alexis Saelemaekers and Nicolas Raskin will also be trusted from the start. Jérémy Doku is out injured, while Charles De Ketelaere, Amadou Onana and Timothy Castagne are out of the lineup.
Belgium’s starting eleven (4-3-3):
Thibaut Courtois – Maxim De Cuyper, Brandon Mechele, Nathan Ngoy, Thomas Meunier – Youri Tielemans, Nicolas Raskin, Leandro Trossard – Kevin De Bruyne, Alexis Saelemaekers, Romelu Lukaku
Iran responds with three changes
Iran is also making three changes to its line-up. Hossein Kanani, Ehsan Hajisafi and Saleh Hardani come in, while Arya Yousefi, Shahriyar Moghanloo and Milad Mohammadi will have to take their place on the bench.
Iran’s starting eleven (4-3-3):
Alireza Beiranvand – Shoja Khalilzadeh, Ali Nemati, Saleh Hardani, Ehsan Hajisafi – Hossein Kanani, Ramin Rezaeian, Saeid Ezatolahi – Saman Ghoddos, Mohammad Mohebbi, Mehdi Taremi
Key figures before the match
- This will be the first meeting between Belgium and Iran ever.
- Belgium have scored just one goal in their last three World Cup games.
- The Red Devils have lost only one of seven World Cup matches against Asian teams – against Saudi Arabia in 1994.
- Iran have faced European teams ten times in the World Cup: one win (against Wales in 2022), two draws and seven losses.
- Iran have scored in five of their last seven World Cup matches – but have only kept a clean sheet twice in the same period.
Our prediction: Belgium will win – but Iran may offer resistance
The defensive weaknesses Iran showed against New Zealand should make Belgium’s attacking players drool. At the same time, Belgium was not convincing against Egypt, and Iran has shown that they can fight back.
Prediction: Belgium 2-1 Iran
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