The final match of Sunday's Asian Cup action will see Iran look to get their campaign off to a winning start when they face off against Palestine at the Education City Stadium in Al Rayyan.

These two sides make up half of the teams in Group C of the competition, with the group being completed by the United Arab Emirates and Hong Kong, who face each other earlier in the day.

Match preview

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Iran's golden era in Asian football came during the 1960s and 1970s when they managed to secure three consecutive titles in 1968, 1972, and 1976. However, they have not reached the final since that period.

The Princes of Persia are one of the most experienced teams in the competition and have also risen in rank on the international stage, having made six appearances at the World Cup, including in the last three editions.

Amir Ghalenoei's side is certainly one of the front runners in this year's Asian Cup, and the three-time champions will get their campaign started off the back of a run of 12 matches unbeaten, with their last defeat coming in the 2022 World Cup.

On January 5, Iran secured a 2-1 victory over Burkina Faso, followed by a convincing 5-0 triumph against Indonesia four days later, which concluded their preparations for the Qatar showpiece in fine style.

Their impressive performances over the years had seen them reach an all-time high ranking of 15th in the world, and while that has slipped to 21st ahead of this tournament, Iran are still the second-highest-ranked side in the Asian Cup behind Japan (17th).

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Meanwhile, considering the turmoil that Palestine as a country has had to endure over the last few years, the Asian Cup presents an opportunity for them to bring some much-needed joy to their local fans.

Makram Daboub's side will be participating in their third consecutive Asian Cup this year and will be hoping to make history this time following disappointment in the last two editions.

In both their previous showings at the 2015 and 2019 tournaments, the Lions of Canaan were unable to secure a single victory in any of their group fixtures and, as a result, have never made it to the knockout stages.

Considering their far-from-ideal preparation and having failed to win any of their last eight matches while only scoring once during that time, perhaps a first-ever Asian Cup victory could be seen as a very realistic goal for the Palestinians.

Team News

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Iran may have to play their opening match without regular goalkeeper Alireza Beiranvand, who sustained a knee injury in that friendly against Burkina Faso, leading to Hossein Hosseini taking his place for the 5-0 victory over Indonesia.

Sardar Azmoun, who played in Roma's 1-0 loss to Lazio in the Coppa Italia on Wednesday, has joined the camp as a late arrival and is in line for selection in this opening match.

For Palestine, Ataa Jaber is unlikely to start this match as he recovers from a heel injury, while Mahmoud Wadi and Islam Batran are also unlikely to feature due to injuries picked up in training.

Daboub will look to his talismanic striker Oday Dabbagh, who has scored 10 goals in 29 matches for Palestine, to provide the majority of the attacking threat, while Musab Al-Battat will likely wear the captain's armband for the opening match.

Iran possible starting lineup:
Hosseini; Rezeaian, Pouraliganji, Hosseini, Mohammadi; Gholizadeh, Nourollahi, Ezatollahi, Hajsafi, Azmoun; Taremi

Palestine possible starting lineup:
Naim; Warda, Battat, Mayor, Jondi; Batran, Issa, Rashid, Hassan; Dabbagh, Zaid

We say: Iran 3-0 Palestine

Asian powerhouses Iran are not only fancied to secure first place in this group but are also expected to be one of the final four sides standing in the last week of the competition. It will be an emotional match for Palestine, who will want to give their fans something to cheer, but we feel that the Lions of Canaan will be far too good for them in this one.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.

Written by
Devesh Jaganath

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