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The winner will advance to the Knockout Round as Iran battles the USA in an epic final group-stage match. It's time to continue our World Cup odds series with an Iran-USA prediction and pick.
Iran defeated Wales 2-0 in their second match to earn three points. Significantly, it was scoreless for the first 90 minutes. The course would clear when Wales garnered a red card when their goalkeeper collided with an Iranian attacker. Thus, it gave Iran the advantage they needed to gain additional chances. The chance would come in the eighth minute of the extra time when Roozbeh Cheshmi blasted a ball into the bottom corner of the net to put the Iranians on the board. Then, they added the finishing touch three minutes later when Ramin Rezaeian rushed up and chipped it over the goalkeeper's head and into the net.
Iran finished with 21 shots, with six hitting the target. Additionally, they completed 66 percent of their passes but retained only 38 percent of possession. Iran had a 47 percent tackle rate with 10 fouls and two yellow cards. Moreover, they had seven corner-kick chances and two offsides called.
The USA clashed with the Brits and finished in a scoreless tie. Ultimately, they controlled large parts of the match but could not convert their chances. The USA took 10 shots on goal, with only one hitting the mark. Additionally, the Americans held an 83 percent passing success rate while possessing the ball 44 percent of the time. The US established a 58 percent tackle rate while committing 15 fouls, yet with no yellow card. Also, they had seven corner-kick opportunities and did not go offsides once.
Here are the USA-Wales World Cup odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
World Cup Odds: Iran-USA Odds
Iran: +320
USA: -110
Draw: +250
Over 2.5 Goals: +116
Under 2.5 Goals: -142
Why Iran Will Beat The USA
The Iranians appeared headed for a scoreless draw when they gained the upper hand and man advantage after a red card. Then, they capitalized and made the most of it.
Mehdi Taremi had an assist on one of the goals and finished with 32 passes. Likewise, Saeid Ezatolahi completed 24 passes, while Ahmad Nocrollahi had 19 passes. Ehsan Haji Safi had 25 passes, while Ali Gholizadeh completed 28.
The defense did a fairly decent job of keeping Wales from striking. Significantly, everyone played a part in the substantial effort. Rezaeian scored one of the goals. Likewise, he defended well, pulling off three tackles, one clean, and one interception. Morteza Pouraligianji had three clears and four interceptions. Similarly, Milad Mohammadi finished with four tackles and two clears. Majid Hosseini had one tackle, seven clears, and one interception. Cheshmi scored the other goal and played well on defense. Significantly, he finished with two clears and an interception. Goalkeeper Seyed Hosseini did his part with three saves.
Iran will beat the USA if they can gain possession of the ball. Likewise, they cannot fall victim to the possession game and must avoid playing on their heels for the entirety of the match.
Why USA Will Beat Iran
The US has played two matches, and both ended in a draw. Thus, they have yet to taste the flavor of victory. Can they get that pivotal win today?
Haji Wright played a quiet game against England, registering one shot that did not hit the target and nine passes. Likewise, Timothy Weah ran all over the field but did not register a shot. Weah finished with 23 passes. Meanwhile, the midfielders had plenty to do. Tyler Adams completed 46 passes. Additionally, Christian Pulisic attempted three shots, with none hitting the mark. He finished with 29 passes. Significantly, Yunus Musah had the only shot that hit the mark. He completed 35 passes successfully. Finally, Weston Mckennie registered two shots that did not reach the goalkeeper. He converted 30 pass attempts.
The defense did not allow England to score. Moreover, they played tight defense and did not give the Brits a chance. The only score was a shot that rang off the top crossbar.
Walker Zimmerman had one tackle and two clears, while Tim Ream had three clears. Likewise, Antonee Robinson finished with two tackles, two clears, and two interceptions. Sergino Dest had four clears. Significantly, goalkeeper Matt Turner turned away three shots to help preserve the tie.
The USA will beat Iran if they can convert their shots into opportunities. Moreover, their shots must reach the goalkeeper to give them a better chance of scoring.
Final Iran-USA Prediction & Pick
The winner advances. Therefore, there is no confusion here. The US has played two great games but has fallen short. However, this will be the game where it all comes together. Expect the Americans to rise up and score some goals to advance to the Knockout Stage.
Final Iran-USA Prediction & Pick: USA: -110
