England looks to build on its first World Cup semifinal run of the 21st century when it tangles with Iran in Qatar on Monday.
The Group B match will be viewed as a tune-up for England, as will most of the group stage as the Three Lions are heavily favored to advance ahead of the United States, Iran, and Wales.
STREAM LIVE ENGLAND vs IRAN
Harry Kane is coming off a Golden Boot from the 2018 tournament in Russia as England lost to Belgium in group play and then Croatia in the semifinal before losing again to Belgium in the third-place game.
Iran will view the group as its best chance yet to escape the group stage, having failed to play a fourth game in 1998, 2006, 2014, and 2018. Iran went 1-1-1 in Russia, finishing behind Spain and Portugal by just one point.
Key storylines, players to watch closely
Can England, as always, handle the massive weight of expectation hoisted on it by the nation, its media, and the power and prestige of a team largely constructed from Premier League giants? That’s the question for the Three Lions at every single tournament and it doesn’t have to get much deeper than that. Kane and Raheem Sterling are the attacking stars but Phil Foden and Declan Rice have firmly staked their claims as part of the next generation. Will Jordan Pickford prove an effective star between the sticks? In terms of injury news, both Kyle Walker and James Maddison aren’t fit enough for the opener against Iran.
Iran knows how close it came to shocking the world when it beat Morocco and lost 1-0 to Spain before drawing Portugal 1-1 to finish group play. This is the last chance for a number of players from a very good generation that includes Mehdi Taremi, Karim Ansarifard, and Alireza Jahanbakhsh. Watch out for 27-year-old forward Sardar Azmoun (Bayer Leverkusen) and club captain Ehsan Hajsafi (AEK Athens).
England quick facts
Current FIFA world ranking: 5
World Cup titles: 1 (1966)
World Cup appearances: 15
How they qualified: Qualified automatically from UEFA
Coach: Gareth Southgate
Key players: Harry Kane, Raheem Sterling, Declan Rice
Iran quick facts
Current FIFA world ranking: 20
World Cup titles: 0
World Cup appearances: 5
How they qualified: Qualified automatically from AFC (Won Group A)
Coach: Dragan Skocic
Key players: Ehsan Hajsafi, Sardar Azmoun, Mehdi Taremi.
This article is originally published at nbc.com
