Lebanon vs Iran

Lebanon and Iran are set to trade tackles at the Saida Municipal Stadium as the hosts hope to stage an upset in a challenging World Cup qualifying encounter.

Lebanon came from behind to beat Syria 3-2 on the road last time out, putting an end to their three-game winless start to their third-round cycle (D2, L1). More importantly, the hosts have rediscovered their scoring mojo, having drawn a blank in their opening three Group A fixtures before putting three goals past the Syrians. Going back to November 2015, the ‘Cedars’ have avoided defeat in all six World Cup qualifying matches on home soil (W3, D3), registering three clean sheets in that spread of games. While four of Lebanon’s last eight international home fixtures featured under 1.5 total goals, the other four have seen 3+ goals and both teams on the scoresheet, highlighting the unpredictability surrounding their performances.

Iran came from a goal down to hold the Korea Republic to a 1-1 draw in their last World Cup qualifying fixture, ending a three-game winning start to their Group A campaign. Keeping a clean sheet could be of paramount importance to Iran’s hopes of winning here, as each of their three third-round victories yielded a shutout, with two of them coming by the identical 1-0 scoreline. ‘Team Melli’ have now won seven of their last eight World Cup qualifying matches (D1), having lost two in a row beforehand. The visitors’ attacking set-up usually bursts into life late, with four of their six Group A goals scored thus far coming beyond the 60th minute. Meanwhile, first-half action has been relatively sparse in Iran’s third-round fixtures so far, as three of four have featured a goalless half-time scoreline.