The FIFA World Cup in Qatar is finally upon us after years of anticipation and we're into the final group stage game where Iran will face the United States of America in a huge soccer game.
It's the eighth time in the last nine World Cup's that the USA will be taking part in the group stages, but for the first time since 2014 when they made it to the Round of 16 before being eliminated by Belgium in extra-time, and they come into the game off the back of an exciting 1-1 draw with Wales in their opening game before a dull 0-0 draw with England.
Iran on the other hand are one of the minnows of the tournament but are in a great position to qualify despite losing their opening game 6-2 to England, having beaten Wales 2-0 last time out.
We'll take a look at this game between two sides who know that a win will see them into the next round and provide you with the best free soccer picks for the clash to see if we can earn you some extra cash for the holiday period.
Let's have a look at the fresh World Cup odds.
Iran vs USA information
- Tuesday, November 29, 2022
- Al Thumama Stadium, Qatar
- 14:00 ET kick-off
- Qatar FIFA World Cup 2022 Group B
Iran vs USA odds
- Iran - (+335)
- USA - (-107)
- Tie - (+255)
The United States had a fairly straight forward qualifying process for this tournament, finishing third behind Canada and Mexico with a record of seven wins from 14 games, scoring 21 goals and conceding just ten.
Coached by Gregg Matthew Berhalter, the States have lost just one in their last eight games in all competitions, with their last defeat coming against Japan back in September.
Their other games in that run have seen them win twice and draw five games, beating Morocco and Grenada while drawing with all of Uruguay, El Salvador, Saudi Arabia, Wales and England.
Star man Christian Pulisic is coming into the game out of form, struggling to hold a place down in the side at Chelsea while other top players like Weston McKennie, Brenden Aaronson, Tyler Adams and Gio Reyna have all had lacklustre campaigns too.
It was Pulisic who got the assist for young Timothy Weah against Wales, but they couldn't hold on despite a largely good performance and defensively they were excellent against England to restrict them to no clear cut chances.
Iran will be without the services of Alireza Jahanbakhsh in their final game of Group B as the former Brighton & Hove Albion man received a second yellow card of the tournament after a high-footed challenge, meaning he is suspended.
Star-man Azmoun is a doubt after visibly struggling throughout his time on the pitch against Wales, although Carlos Queiroz may risk the attacker from the start on Tuesday considering how much quality he adds to the side.
Goalkeeper Alireza Beiranvand sat out of the Wales clash due to concussion protocol after a nasty head injury in Iran's first match of the World Cup with England, but the 30-year-old is available to return in this vital fixture if Queiroz decides to drop Hossein Hosseini who kept a clean sheet on Friday.
Soccer picks: USA to get the win
Both of these teams know that a win will see them qualify for the next round, either as runners-up behind England or as group winners depending on the Three Lions' result against Wales at the same time.
Iran's greatest strength is their defense, which has proven to be far more solid than their opening game defeat to England suggested.
With their first-choice goalkeeper likely to be reinstated to the team, they will be more confident, and they know that a draw is potentially enough to secure their qualification. That will make it really hard but will give the USA the incentive to really push early on.
The likes of Tyler Adams and Christian Pulisic have been in great form so far in this tournament and if they are able to continue that, they should have too much for Iran and should find themselves in the next round.
Check out our review for MyBookie sports betting here.
Soccer picks: Back the unders
Both of these teams are arguably at their best when counter-attacking with pace, which means when it comes to defending, they like to sit pretty deep and invite pressure before breaking away.
The USA do it better than Iran for sure, but both teams defend the counter pretty well too.
If the USA want to get a positive result from this game then they absolutely must score the first goal. If they don't then Iran will sit back and be as physical as they can, and look to counter and be effective themselves.
Expect a pretty cagey affair in the opening half before the game opens up late on, and therefore the Under 2.5 goals mark is a solid option to bet on and earn some extra cash.
Check out our review for BetUS sports betting here.
