PLDC - Iran’s national football team will take on UAE on Thursday on the third matchday of third round of qualifiers for the 2022 Qatar World Cup.
Dragan Skocic’s team have secured two wins from the first two matches against Syria and Iraq, standing top of Group A’s table with six points.
The UAE have obtained two points from two draws against Lebanon and Iraq and as their coach Bert van Marwijk said they are playing for victory against Iran in Dubai’s Zabeel Stadium.
Iran’s coach Skocic is not facing a hard task for arranging the lineup as most of his men are fixed but he may have to decide in one or two posts for better performance.
Left Back:
It seems that the Croatian coach has not yet obtained his desired left-back. In the first match against Syria, Vahid Amiri filled the position and Omid Noorafkan played there in the next match. Now, both of them are ready in addition to Milad Mohammadi and Ehsan Haji Safi who have also come to Dubai. Except Mohammadi, the three others can also fill other posts, especially as midfielders. Amiri and Haji Safi have more chance to play against UAE compared to Mohammadi and Noorafkan.
Third midfielder:
Skocic still prefers to have three midfielders out of which two can be considered defensive ones. Saeed Ezatolahi or Milad Sarlak will play as the main defensive midfielder with the former having a higher chance. The second man in this line is Ahmad Nourollahi despite his rather poor performance in Shabab Al Ahli. The third man in this line depends on the choice for the left-back. Amiri can be a left-winger if not put as left-back but if the former happens, Haji Safi, Saman Ghoddos, or Alireza Jahanbakhsh can play as the left-winger.
Third attacker:
Mehdi Taremi and Sardar Azmoun will surely be in the starting XI. But who can be the third player in this line? Probably Jahanbakhsh can the choice as he has scored a goal in each of the previous matches but if he plays as a winger, then Ali Gholizadeh can be the third attacker.
Team Melli will depart Dubai for Tehran to prepare for its most important match of this stage against South Korea that will be held next Tuesday at Azadi Stadium. Five players of Iran have already received a yellow card and facing a second card in the match against UAE can complicate the situation for the team. Therefore, Shoja Khalilzadeh, Mehdi Taremi, Alireza Jahanbakhsh, Saeed Ezatolahi, and Milad Mohammadi should play with extra care; the first four players have currently no replacement in the team.
Iran’s probable line-up against the UAE:
Alireza Beiranvand, Sadegh Moharrami, Shoja Khalilzadeh, Mohammad Hossein Kanaanizadegan, Vahid Amiri (Omid Noorafkan), Ahmad Nourollahi, Saeed Ezatolahi, Ehsan Haji Safi, Alireza Jahanbakhsh, Mehdi Taremi, and Sardar Azmoun.
The UAE vs Iran match will be broadcasted live on IRIB TV3.