Coach : Dr Branko Ivankovic
An academic Croatian who holds a PhD in physical education, he has been in the job for almost four years. He guided the team to second in the Asian qualifying group behind Japan. Former assistant to Miroslav Blazevic when Croatia finished third in the 1998 World Cup, and took over the Iran team from his mentor in 2002.
Key Players:
Ali Daei is the king of the Asian game with more goals than any other player in the history of international football, but his career is on the wane somewhat and German-based duo Ali Karimi and Mehdi Mahdavikia are the players who make the team tick, with Javad Nekounam an up-and-coming midfield talent.
Form Guide:
Qualified in straightforward fashion behind Japan - who inflicted their only defeat of the campaign in a generally easy group.
Form Versus Countries In Group:
Have not encountered them before in the World Cup.
Style Of Play:
Full of attacking talent, Iran could be a test for any side on their day. Can sometimes be defensively naive.
Group Verdict:
Will battle it out with Angola to avoid the wooden spoon. |
