The second of the three games on Friday will see Morocco taking on Iran in Group B opener in St Petersburg Stadium. Both the countries have never met in the World Cup before and will be looking to start the journey with a win. They met each other only once previously, a tie which ended in a draw.
Appearing for the sixth time in the showpiece event, this is Morocco’s first World Cup appearance since 1998. On the other hand, Iran are playing their fifth World Cup.
Both the teams had enjoyed impressive qualifying campaign. Morocco only conceded one goal in their eight games, while Iran only let in five goals in their 18 qualifying matches. But they will have their task cut out in Group B. Placed in the same group as 2010 winners Spain and reigning European champions Portugal, with only the top two sides advancing to the last 16, a loss in this game can pretty much end their hopes of progressing ahead.
چهره نگاری «بلیچر ریپورت» از ستارههای گروه B جام جهانی ۲۰۱۸ pic.twitter.com/rvurT96tdC
— Team Melli IRAN (@TeamMelliIran) June 14, 2018
Sportzwiki brings you all you need to know ahead of the clash between the two sides.
Venue and time:
The teams will start their World Cup campaign in St Petersburg Stadium at 8:30 PM IST.
Players to look out for:
For Morocco, Khalid Boutaib will be looking to make a mark. He was the joint-second top scorer in the qualification stages after netting four goals. Juventus star Medhi Benatia – captaining Morocco – is also set to leave a big impression.
Iran will have high hopes from Sardar Azmoun. The 23-year old has been piling up the international goals for Iran. In just 32 games, he has scored 23 international goals to rise to fifth place on Iran’s list of all-time leading scorers. The eyes will also be on Mehdi Taremi and Alireza Jahanbaksh who scored 21 goals for AZ Alkmaar this past season.
Where to watch:
The Indians fans will enjoy an extensive coverage of the game. The English coverage will be shown on SONY TEN 2 SD and HD channels. The Hindi feed will be aired on SONY TEN 3 SD and HD channels. Bengali and Malayali feed will be available on SONY ESPN SD channel.
Squad:
| Position | Morocco players |
| Goalkeepers | El Kajoui, Bounou, Reda Tagnaouti |
| Defenders | Dirar, Da Costa, Saiss, Mendyl, Benatia, Hakimi, Amrabat |
| Midfielders | Al Ahmadi Ait Bennasser, Boussoufa, Fajr ,Harit, Amrabat, Ziyach, Belhanda |
| Forwards | Al Kaabi, Boutaib, Bouhaddouz, Carcela Gonzalez, En-Nesyri |
| Position | Iran players |
| Goalkeepers | Beiranvand, Mazaheri, Abedzadeh |
| Defenders | Hosseini, Mohammadi, Khanzadeh, Pouraliganji, Montazeri, Rezaeian, Cheshmi |
| Midfielders | Ezatolahi, Haji Safi, Ebrahimi, Shojaei, Dejagah |
| Forwards | Jahanbakhsh, Taremi, Ghoddos, Amiri, Torabi, Azmoun, Ansarifard, Ghoochannejhad |
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