Iraq hosts Iran in round 5 of the second stage of the Asian World Cup qualification. The match will be played on Thursday, November 14th at the Amman International Stadium (Amman)
Due to unrest in Iraq, the match will be held in Jordan. Is it a plus for Iran? Why? Iraq feels outside its country no worse than at home. In the last 10 matches, the team lost only 2 times. And one of them was lost in the home field. In general, the Lions of Mesopotamia are not as harmless as they seem at first glance. They participated in the World Cup 1986 in Mexico and three Olympiads. They won the Asian Cup in 2007. There was a lot of interesting and scary in Iraqi football under the rule of Hussein, but this is a topic for a separate discussion. Anyway, Iraq is the leader of its group, according to additional indicators. Bahrain also has seven points after three rounds, but Iraq scored four goals more than its competitor did.
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Iran has six points after three rounds. It is 3rd in the standings. In terms of football, it is more prosperous than the upcoming opponent is. The team took part in four World Cups, including the latter in Russia. Iran beat Morocco and tied with Portugal, but it lacked one point to progress from the group. And it lost the last away match against Bahrain in the current qualification (1-0). Belgian specialist Wilmots heads the team. There are enough legionnaires. By the way, some played or play in Belgium. Like Ebrahimi from Eupen or Mohammadi from Gent. There are representatives of the Portuguese championship ( Taremi plays in Rio Ave) and the Turkish one (Hosseini from Trabzonspor). And even the champion of Russia, Azmoun is available. He plays for Zenit. Of course, the squad of the Iran national team looks more solid.
Bookmakers underestimate Iraq. Their opinion is probably influenced by the list of Iranian legionnaires. Although Iraq does not have such legionnaires, and there are fewer achievements than that of its opponent, the team is not inferior to Iran in anything. The occupied places in the standings are proof of this. To put it mildly, there are strained relations between these countries for many decades. Unfortunately, this affects sports, and football is no exception. The main task of both teams will not be to win. The main thing for them will not be to lose. The last meeting ended in a goalless draw. The year before last, Iraq celebrated the victory. Earlier there was a draw in the regulation time. Until 2015, Iran dominated in the games between these rivals. But in the last 4 years, the situation has leveled off, and Iraq is in no way inferior to its geographical neighbors and even beats them. It will probably not lose this time either. Teams are approximately equal in their condition and game style. A draw would suit both. But in light of the recent victories of Iraq, it cannot be ruled out that it may be more successful than its counterparts.
Prediction for the match: Iraq to win with +0.5 handicap
