Iran and Uzbekistan will battle it out for top spot in Group E when they face off in Tuesday's 2026 World Cup qualifier.
Both sides have collected 13 points from their five matches, but Iran have a slight edge due to their goal-difference advantage.
Match preview
© Reuters
Iran have taken the first steps towards reaching a fourth consecutive World Cup after securing their spot in the third stage of qualifying with minimum fuss.
They began their campaign with a win over Hong Kong and a draw against Uzbekistan, before going on to claim back-to-back victories over Turkmenistan.
Iran enjoyed another successful outing in Thursday's away meeting with Hong Kong thanks to a Mehdi Taremi hat-trick and a Sardar Azmoun strike.
While they may have little to play for, Team Melli will still want to earn the honour of advancing as group winners, knowing that a draw will be enough to secure pole position.
They will fancy their chances of achieving such a result, having avoided in each of their previous 21 home games in World Cup qualifying.
© Reuters
Uzbekistan are one step closer to achieving World Cup qualification for the first time after matching Iran's points total to ease through to the third stage.
Srecko Katanec's side took four points from their first two matches, before winning both of their encounters against Hong Kong.
They went on to record a third consecutive qualifying victory in Thursday's outing against Turkmenistan, with Husniddin Aliqulov, Oston Urunov and Sherzod Nasrullaev all getting on the scoresheet in a 3-1 win.
Uzbekistan will be targeting another victory in Tuesday's fixture as they look to leapfrog Iran to claim top spot in Group E.
However, their hopes of claiming all three points will be tempered by the fact that they have not beaten Iran since recording a 1-0 victory in November 2012.
Team News
© Reuters
Iran defender Hossein Kanaanizadegan is likely to come into the side after serving a one-match suspension for yellow card accumulation.
There is also a possibility that Adana Demirspor left-back Milad Mohammadi will be presented with a starting opportunity.
Buoyed from netting a hat-trick, Taremi will look to add to his 48-goal international tally when he lines up against Uzbekistan.
Meanwhile, Uzbekistan defender Farrukh Sayfiev is set to return to the fold, having served a one-match ban for picking up two yellow cards in qualifying.
Uzbekistan's all-time top scorer Eldor Shomurodov will have the opportunity to add to the 40 goals that he has scored for his country.
Iran possible starting lineup:
Niazmand; Yousefi, Kanaanizadegan, Khalilzadeh, Mohammadi; Ghorbani; Jahanbakhsh, Ghoddos, Ghayedi; Azmoun, Taremi
Uzbekistan possible starting lineup:
Yusupov; Khusanov, Eshmurodov, Ashurmatov; Sayfiev, Khamrobekov, Shukurov, Turgunboev; Masharipov, Urunov, Shomurodov
We say: Iran 2-1 Uzbekistan
With the two teams sitting level on 13 points, we think that Tuesday's contest will prove to be a close-fought affair and that Iran will make full use of home advantage to claim a narrow victory.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Iran
Kyrgyzstan
North Korea
Qatar
UAE
Uzbekistan
Iraq
Jordan
Kuwait
Oman
Palestine
South Korea
Australia
Bahrain
China
Indonesia
Japan
Saudi Arabia
