World Cup Best Bets - June 27 - Group G

Iran know that they can secure their place in the top two with a win in their final group game, but this will be far easier said than done. Their 2-2 draw with New Zealand in their opener was a chance to take all three points missed as they had to come from behind twice against a team the odds tipped them to beat. Their draw with Belgium came out of real defensive solidity, although they will have been disappointed to have played for over 23 minutes with a one-man advantage and failed to find a goal. Cleary Iran are tough to breach, but they have not been scoring consistently. With a win crucial in their hopes of securing a knockout place, I am backing them to overextend in search of a goal which sees them slump to a defeat. 

Backing Belgium at this World Cup has proved a nightmare at each turn. Their 1-1 draw with Egypt was quickly followed by a drag 0-0 draw with Iran. There seems to be little incision to their attack, with a lack of genuine creativity in midfield matched up with forwards that have disappointed for some time. In truth, if Belgium were facing a better side in their final group game, then I would back them to lose. They have been massively disappointing across the tournament and while I back them to defeat a weak New Zealand side, I do not see them going far in the knockouts.