A crucial Group B match will see Wales look to do the business against the lowest-ranked team in the group, Iran.
Victory for either side in this match would give them a great chance of claiming a knockout stage spot, while a draw or defeat leaves them extremely vulnerable.
Wales, after picking up a late point against the United States, know that victory in this match will be important, but so will goal difference. If they can secure a win, they’ll want to pour on the goals in the hopes of getting a differential advantage over the United States, who will also be expected to pick up a win against Iran.
For the Middle Eastern nation, there is pride at stake, as even if they don’t qualify for the knockout stage, a better showing than their opening match 6-2 defeat to England would be something to enjoy.
MORE: Follow all the World Cup daily picks & predictions from The Sporting News here
Wales vs Iran odds
With both teams on plus odds, the bookmakers are punting on picking a winner and instead are backing a lack of goals and a potential draw.
The under and the “no” result of both teams to score are both extremely skewed towards the low end, as bookies expect there to be a lack of chances between two defensive-minded sides. Wales are expected to edge the scoreline, but overall, the biggest certainty is the absence of chances.
Odds via BetMGM (USA), Sports Interaction (Canada), SkyBet (UK), and LadBrokes (Australia).
| BetMGM | Sports Interaction |
SkyBet | LadBrokes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wales win | +110 | 2.09 | 11/10 | 11/10 |
| Draw | +220 | 3.07 | 21/10 | 21/10 |
| Iran win | +275 | 3.58 | 13/5 | 11/4 |
| Both teams to score Y / N |
+110 / -155 | 1.99 / 1.65 | 1/1, 8/11 | 21/20, 7/10 |
| Over / Under 2.5 goals |
+138 / -200 | 2.41 / 1.53 | 6/4, 1/2 | 7/5, 8/15 |
| Wales -0.5 | +100 | 2.14 | — | — |
| Iran +0.5 | -140 | 1.69 | — | — |
Wales vs Iran: 3 things to know
Wales versus Iran team news
Wales head coach Rob Page will be happy to see that only Joe Allen has injury concerns. The Swansea City man has not played since mid-September thanks to a hamstring injury, and missed the USA game. Ethan Ampadu and Harry Wilson took over in midfield, although Ampadu himself took a knock and his current fitness is doubtful. Gareth Bale and Aaron Ramsey had fitness concerns coming into the tournament but both played 90 minutes against the United States.
Iran will be concerned over the fitness of star attacker Sardar Azmoun, who hasn’t played for Bayer Leverkusen since suffering a torn hamstring in early October. He was only fit enough to play 13 minutes off the bench against England. Goalkeeper Alireza Beiranvand suffered an ugly facial injury against England, with what appeared to be a broken nose and a concussion, in a collision with a teammate.
MORE: Full injury tracker for all 32 teams at the 2022 FIFA World Cup
Wales vs Iran key stats
- Wales have gone six straight matches without a win, their longest streak since May — November, 2003.
- Wales are in their first World Cup since 1958, and second ever. Their only World Cup victory came in that 1958 tournament on a 2-1 win over Hungary.
- Iran dropped just five points through the final phase of Asian qualifying, which came in a pair of results against South Korea that yielded just a draw and a defeat.
Wales vs Iran match facts
- Date: Monday, November 21
- Kickoff Time: 11am ET / 4pmpm GMT / 3am AEDT (Tue, Nov. 22)
- Location: Al Thumama Stadium
- Official: TBC
Wales vs Iran prediction
- Moneyline lean: Wales (+110)
- Against the spread lean: Wales -0.5 (+100)
- Score prediction: Wales 2-0 Iran
It’s highly likely that this match will be low-scoring, and because of that, anything can happen. The World Cup is all about moments and because of that, one piece of magic could prove decisive. The United States will be rooting for a draw in this match, but Wales are the better side on paper and should come out on top.
MORE: How to watch Wales vs Iran in World Cup Group B match
Wales vs Iran: Best bet
It’s hard to find openings in this game, as the only real certainty is a lack of goals, just like the bookmakers have predicted. Backing the under, even at low odds, is incredibly enticing, but with Wales knowing they’ll want to rack up the goal differential at every opportunity, that could be dangerous.
- Pick: Wales to win
- Odds: +110 (11/10) (BetMGM)
While this match likely won’t feature many goals, Wales should have enough to win it. Bale is the main man of course, but Kieffer Moore will present arguably a bigger goal threat. It’s likely the latter will start given his positive introduction against the United States at half-time, and backing him to score at +175 (7/4) isn’t a bad idea either, but with so few goals expected, that’s probably not quite good enough to get behind. Instead, bet on the better team with plus odds to come out ahead.
Wales vs Iran prop bet
- Pick: Half with most goals — 2H
- Odds: +110 (11/10) (BetMGM)
Because of the cagey nature expected in this game, and the stakes on it, you can expect the second half to be a more open affair. Both sides will likely look to get to the break without having conceded before truly opening things up.
That’s exactly what Wales did against the United States, while Iran will hope to defend better than they did against a talented England side. Wales will want to win the match, but they’ll fancy their chances in the final 45 minutes after having wrapped up a safe and tidy first half.
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