Monday afternoon at the Khalifa International Stadium. Group B begins it’s match rotation with one of the most mentioned national teams on the planet (mostly because of the Premier League and their self-inflicted hype) on one side and a country that has been going through turmoil for some time now on the other. Iran, the world’s 20th-ranked nation, are facing an uphill battle to finally progress beyond the group stage – the first obstacle are group favourites and trophy-hungry English.England’s latest quest for major tournament glory begins and another attempt to emulate the heroes of 1966 awaits Gareth Southgate’s young, effervescent crop. The empty suitcase that Declan Rice brought along to carry home the World Cup trophy will come in handy should the Three Lions continue the theme of going one better at major tournaments under the 52-year-old.Tricolors batter both Qatar and shameful accusations of bribery to win the World Cup opening gameA slice of unwanted history is also on the line for England here, as the Three Lions could fail to win seven games in a row for only the second time, having set that record all the way back in 1958, which would be a major blot on Southgate’s notebook as speculation over his post-World Cup future hots up.This time around, optimism is not exactly high, with the 1966 champions entering the World Cup on the back of a winless Nations League campaign which saw them relegated to League B, having also failed to score from open play until their 3-3 draw with Germany on the final matchday.Four years ago, the nation could hardly have been happier when Kieran Trippier scored that memorable free kick against Croatia in the semi-finals. Or when Luke Shaw struck first against Italy in the Euro 2020 final. But England ended both tournaments without the winners’ medals around their necks.England have also made a habit of winning one opening match at the World Cup and failing to win the next – prevailing on matchday one in 1998, 2006 and 2018 but coming up short in 2002, 2010 and 2014 – and Iran ought to play without any fear knowing that the pressure is firmly off their shoulders.The Ukrainian FA requested the expulsion of Iran from the World Cup over allegations of the Asian nation supplying weapons to Russia for the ongoing war in Eastern Europe, but Carlos Queiroz’s side are now preparing to compete on the biggest stage for the third time in a row.Middle-Eastern will expect to be battling Wales and the USA for second place in Group B should England ride off into the sunset as expected, but Team Melli are one of a number of nations to have become embroiled in pre-tournament controversy.Watch: @TeamMelliIran captain Ehsan Hajsafi starts #ENGIRN game press conference with “in the name of the god of rainbow”, expresses condolences to “all the grieving families of Iran”, & says “we are all standing beside you”#IranProrests2022#WorldCup2022pic.twitter.com/D3kKbW6h1v— Behrang Tajdin (@Behrang) November 20, 2022 England and Iran will be locking horns for the first time on Monday, and Team Melli are aiming to secure their first win over European opposition at the ninth attempt, which would certainly send early shockwaves around Qatar early doors.It will not come as too much of a surprise to learn that Iran have never progressed beyond the group stage of the World Cup in its current format, and they have only ever won two games in the tournament, one of which came against Morocco on the opening matchday at Russia 2018.Like many teams in this tournament, England are also struck by the absence of some of their most important players. Manchester City right-back Kyle Walker has already admitted that Monday’s game will come too soon for him as he battles back from groin surgery. Also, James Maddison missed training earlier this week to manage his workload following an injury scare last weekend and is also set to miss out – the Leicester City man was never expected to feature from the first whistle here.NEW: Oxford mathematical model predicts route to the men’s @FIFAWorldCup ⚽️🏆The model – created by @OxUniMaths’ @JoshuaABull – forecasts:🏴 England to lose in the quarter-final🇦🇷 Argentina vs Brazil in the semi-final🇧🇷 Brazil to beat Belgium in the final#WorldCup pic.twitter.com/gm0IdIt8K6— University of Oxford (@UniofOxford) November 18, 2022 Kieran Trippier should be given the nod on the right in Walker’s absence, while the age-old question of whether Southgate will line up with a back three or back four is already being asked.At Euro 2020, Rice and Kalvin Phillips formed an effective midfield partnership. However, for the opening matchday of this World Cup, Southgate will surely go with selecting fan favourite Jude Bellingham instead of the latter, given Dortmund’s star form and Phillips’ recent shoulder surgery.Experienced midfielder Omid Ebrahimi is the most notable absentee from the Iranian squad due to a groin injury; Ehsan Hajsafi will wear the captain’s armband as he prepares to make his 122nd appearance for Team Melli. Bayer Leverkusen striker Sardar Azmoun is part of the team despite tearing a calf muscle last month. Queiroz also has another established center-forward in Porto’s Mehdi Taremi ready to shoulder the goalscoring burden, and he should be supported by a familiar name in Alireza Jahanbakhsh.England players decide to take the knee in their maiden WC gameQATAR 2022 WORLD CUPGroup BMonday16:00: (1.40) England (4.60) Iran (10.5)22:00: (2.50) USA (3.00) Wales (3.40)***odds are subject to change***
