Left to rue a bitter 1-0 loss to Nigeria, Bosnia-Herzegovina have no choice but to move forward. We have the Europeans as among the sleepers in the 2014 World Cup field, but they’re unfortunately now out of contention.
Meanwhile, Iran is coming off a praise-worthy performance, albeit in a loss, against world power Argentina, 1-0. In our preview of Group F, we pointed out that the Middle Easterners were long shots to make it past the group stages, but amazingly are still in the thick of it.
[sc:Soccer ]Bosnia-Herzegovina vs. Iran, World Cup 2014, Group Stage Betting Preview and Prediction
Where: Arena Fonte Nova, Salvador, Brazil
When: June 25, 6:00 PM ET
Line: Bosnia-Herzegovina at Iran – view all World Cup lines
What’s at stake
Bosnia-Herzegovina are going to play for keeps in this match, determined to get their first World Cup win. As for Iran, they can qualify for the next round if they win over Bosnia-Herzegovina, and if Argentina beat Nigeria.
Betting on Bosnia-Herzegovina
A controversial offside call that disallowed striker Edin Dzeko’s goal against Nigeria will haunt Bosnia-Herzegovina for a long time, but the Dragons do not have time to dwell on it now. Up ahead for them is their last chance to get the elusive three points in the tournament.
[sc:Soccer240banner ]Known as a dangerous team on the attack, as evidenced by their 30 goals during the qualifiers, Bosnia-Herzegovina were given lots of opportunities by the Nigerians to nail one. However, their strikers failed to convert.
Point man Edin Dzeko was able to launch seven shots (four on target) but ended the match against Nigeria empty handed. A strong finisher and dubbed as the Dragons’ best player, Dzeko figures to be in for another tough time against the phalanx of Iranian defenders.
Vedad Ibisevic came off the bench to try to give his team a lift but also failed to deliver. The ineptness of the two forwards, however, was not entirely their faults. They weren’t given many good passes from the midfield, hence were forced to work their way out of disadvantageous positions.
With the way the Iranians have been spoiling their foes’ attacks, Bosnia-Herzegovina’s midfielders have to be more creative in their passing to counter the aggressive defense of Iran.
The Dragons’ vaunted attack need to show up against Iran. It would not come as a surprise if coach Safet Susic would finally decide in favor of starting Dzeko and Ibisevic together.
If you think Bosnia-Herzegovina will win their last game of this tournament, then create a betting account now, and cash in on this intriguing matchup.
Betting on Iran
Even in defeat, Iran managed to surprise. Expected by most to be among the whipping boys of the tournament, the Iranians defied forecasts of a nasty beat down at the hands of Argentina, holding down the football powerhouse to a solitary goal.
The airtight defense that baffled the Nigerians also worked well against the Argentinians, and it’s not a big stretch to think Iran could quell just as effectively Bosnia-Herzegovina’s offense. In the opener, the Iranians managed a scoreless tie against Nigeria.
Argentina had the possession of the ball 70% of the time, but the Iranians’ solid back line proved to be very tough to crack and it took the South Americans the effort of the world’s best player in Lionel Messi to put them on the scoreboard.
Iran will be up against another talented attacking team in Bosnia- Herzegovina, whom they have a good chance of stopping. However, they must be able to come up with something on offense. The Iranians only had eight shots against Argentina, with four on target. They’re going to need more than that to find the net in their next match.
Writer’s Prediction
Bosnia-Herzegovina solve Iran’s defense, and gets three points in a win over the Middle Easterners.
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