We simulated England vs Iran to get a 2022 FIFA World Cup score prediction

England will embark on their 2022 FIFA World Cup journey later today when they face Iran in the opening game of Group B.

The Three Lions enter the clash with Iran as big favourites despite their poor form of late, with Gareth Southgate's side having finished bottom of their UEFA Nations League Group and winless in their last six games. Today's clash will be the first meeting between the two sides, though Iran should not be looked at as easy opposition by England, with Carlos Queiroz's side having proved a banana-skin side in recent tournaments.

A win for the Three Lions could be the perfect boost needed to carry them forward in the tournament, with Southgate hoping he can push his side one step further than the 2018 World Cup and reach the finals this time round. England are set to be without Kyle Walker and James Maddison for the clash at the Khalifa International Stadium.

So, how could England get on against Iran in their first 2022 World Cup game today? We simulated the clash on FIFA 23 to try and find out.

England vs Iran simulated to get a score prediction

To run this simulation, we used FIFA 23 and updated the squads with the latest injuries and suspensions. We didn't select a team to control, with the World Class AI playing against each other to get a score prediction.

We predict that England could line up in a 3-4-3 formation, with their line-up as follows: Pickford: Stones, Dier, Maguire; Trippier, Bellingham, Rice, Shaw; Saka, Kane, Foden.

We predict that Iran could set up in a 4-5-1 formation, with their line-up as follows: Beyranvand; Moharrami, Kanaani, Khalilzadeh, Hajisafi; Jahanbakhsh, Noorollahi, Ezatolahi, Amiri, Taremi; Azmoun.

Iran took England by surprise in the opening stages of the game, and they took the lead six minutes into the simulation when Sardar Azmoun netted from close range. But, England responded perfectly, and after just 25 minutes the Three Lions had taken the lead with a quickfire double.

After Phil Foden was pulled down inside the box, Harry Kane stepped up to dispatch the spot kick to draw England level. Not long after, Kane turned provider as he played a one-two with Bukayo Saka on the right, slipping the Arsenal man into the box to fire past the 'keeper at the near post.

England started to control the game and made it 3-1 in the 37th minute, with Jude Bellingham getting on the scoresheet as he headed Kieran Trippier's cross into the net with a diving effort at the front post. Just before the break, Trippier received his marching orders from the referee as he was judged to have denied a goal-scoring opportunity in the box.

Azmoun took the resulting spot kick and sent Jordan Pickford the wrong way, meaning England went into the break 3-2 ahead. It was a close but entertaining 45 minutes at the Khalifa International Stadium, and minutes after the restart, Kane grabbed his second to double the Three Lions' lead.

A fantastic interception from Declan Rice kickstarted an England attack, with the West Ham midfielder surging forward with options in support. Rice opted to thread a pass through to Kane ahead of him, and the striker did brilliantly to let the ball run into his path and fire across the 'keeper for 4-2.

But, defensive fragility proved England's downfall again, and Azmoun grabbed his and Team Melli's third of the afternoon 74 minutes in, with Pickford spilling the ball at the feet of the striker as the deficit was halved. A goal behind, Iran got desperate in the late stages, and Southgate's side capitalised as Mason Mount confirmed three points for England in the 88th minute

A long clearance forward was met by Kane for the Three Lions, and the striker used his body well to hold possession and ait for support. He received just that in Mount as the Chelsea man received the ball just inside the box, and he rifled his shot into the top corner of the net to make it 5-3 and secure England's first win of the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

FIFA 23 predicted score: England 5-3 Iran

Here are the full-time match stats.

FIFA 23 predicts that Iran may be a tougher test than expected for England, with their attacking options a handful for the Three Lions' defence. But, it was Southgate's attacking talent that outshone Iran, with Harry Kane starring as England hit Team Melli for five in the simulation, a sight all England fans would be pleased to see later today.

FIFA 23 is developed by EA Vancouver and EA Romania and is now available worldwide on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, PC, Stadia, PS4, and Xbox One.

Source: Read Full Article