USA vs Iran in World Cup 2022 Group B Cricket

Iran and the United States square off in a pivotal Group B encounter for all the marbles, with a place in the World Cup knockout round on the line.

Only one of the two countries may advance to the Round of 16. The task for the United States is straightforward: they must win in order to progress. There are no tiebreakers for goal difference, goals scored, or fair play. If Gregg Berhalter and company win, they advance; if they do not, they are eliminated.

It's just somewhat more problematic for Iran. They will almost likely progress with a win and nearly certainly with a draw. The only way Iran can advance is if they draw and Wales defeats England by at least four goals, which is not just implausible but also impossible.

The US will attempt to summon the same amount of energy that they did against Algeria in 2010 when success was crucial in their last group stage encounter. Landon Donovan scored an epic goal in the 91st minute to advance the United States to the knockout rounds.

Iran vs. USA odds

The United States is a big favorite, narrowly breaking into minus territory on the Moneyline, while Iran is a 3/1 underdog in the crucial match.

The US will know they must win to advance, and bookies will be anticipating a defensive fight between two sides who have failed to score all tournament. The under is a strong favorite, but both teams' scores are a much more even split.

Three things you should know about the United States and Iran

Team news for the United States vs. Iran

The US has no known fitness problems heading into this match. Weston McKennie's fitness was questioned ahead of the England game, but the Juventus midfielder put up an outstanding 77-minute performance to put any fears to rest. Yunus Musah was similarly concerned going into the England game, but he played the whole 90 minutes against the European team in the draw.

The greatest concern for Iran is the health of attacker Sardar Azmoun. He recovered quickly from a significant calf injury in time for the World Cup and came off the bench against England in the opener before being replaced midway through the second half against Iran. Alireza Beiranvand, the goalkeeper, will presumably be back from his concussion for this match, although that was according to Carlos Quieroz before the Wales game, so more will be required. Alireza Jahanbakhsh of Feyenoord has been banned after accumulating yellow cards.

Key statistics for the United States vs. Iran

• The United States has won at least one game in six of the country's past ten World Cup appearances, including the last two and three of the last four. If the US fails to beat Iran, it will not win a game at a World Cup for the first time since 2006, when they also failed to advance beyond the group stage.
• The US, on the other hand, has only won their third World Cup group game once, against Algeria in 2010. They had previously lost all seven games.
• The United States and Iran have only met once in a competitive setting, with Iran winning 2-1 in the 1998 World Cup, with Brian McBride's 87th-minute consolation goal not enough to earn points as the United States tumbled out of the group stage with three defeats. The two countries also met once in a friendly in 2000, which finished in a 1-1 tie.

Facts about the USA-Iran match

Tuesday, November 29th

2:00 p.m. ET / 7:00 p.m. GMT / 6:00 a.m. AEDT (Wed, Nov. 30)

Al Thumama Stadium is the venue.

Antonio Mateu, official (Spain)

Prediction: USA vs. Iran

• United States is the money line favorite (-120)
• Leaning against the spread: USA -0.5 (-120)
• Prediction: USA wins 1-0. Iran

The 90-minute game will be uncomfortable for some and exhilarating for others, but the United States should have enough quality to win. Iran will play for a draw, knowing that a single point advances them to the knockout stage, and this encounter should be one-sided.

That doesn't mean it will be easy, because the United States has struggled to score throughout the tournament. Iran has done the same, and one goal should be enough to get the US into the final round. However, one goal should have been enough to defeat Wales and prevent all of this silliness in the first place.

The best bet is the United States vs Iran

Select: Under 2.5 goals

Odds: -155

There is no other way to phrase it: the United States has been dreadful in front of goal this tournament. With Tim Weah and Christian Pulisic on the sides and Josh Sargent and Haji Wright up front, the US has only created 1.42 xG in their first four games. That is simply not going to work. The addition of Gio Reyna or Brenden Aaronson could assist, but they'll need to mix things up to provide a danger against a defensively solid Iran team.

Prop bet on the United States vs. Iran

Choose the half with the most goals — 2H

Odds: +105 

Iran, in particular, has been totally terrible offensively in the first half, almost on design, as head coach Carlos Quieroz encourages his squad to reach halfway without conceding before opening things up. Their four goals have been fairly distributed throughout their two matches, with two coming when already losing 4-0 against England and the others coming late versus Wales with a man advantage. They scored 0.13 xG in the first half against England while the game was still in question, and 0.18 xG in the first half against Wales.

Throughout the game, the United States will smash into Iran's penalty area. They've been more of a first-half squad this tournament, but with their totals so low, it's difficult to imagine an early breakthrough in this game. It will most likely happen later when fans have run out of fingernails to gnaw.