With Cristiano Ronaldo earning plaudits and headlines through two matchdays at the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia, Portugal sits on four points but still has work to do if they want to secure a place in the knockout stages. Standing in their way is a defensive-minded Iran side that has three points and a very real chance to advance. To do so, they’ll need to defeat the favored Portuguese as +500 underdogs on Monday.
Elsewhere on the oddsboard at Sportsbook, Portugal is -150 with the draw +260 in moneyline markets while Portugal is the half-goal fave at -155 with Iran +130 in spread betting. As for the total, OVER 2 is -125 while UNDER comes back at +105.
Bet on the 2018 World Cup here
- Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo has four goals in two games at the World Cup.
- Four of Iran’s last five games (all competitions) have finished UNDER 2 goals.
- Iran has five yellow cards in its Sportsbook two matches.
Ronaldo Needs Support
We can go on all day about just how good Cristiano Ronaldo is and that certainly hasn’t stopped in the Sportsbook two games at the World Cup. Ronaldo has all four goals and is tied with Belgium’s Romelu Lukaku in top goalscorer standings, just behind England’s Harry Kane (five).
Ronaldo, who is presently +325 to win the Golden Boot at Sportsbook, is also being offered at +225 to score the first goal of the match and is -120 to score anytime. Through two games, Ronaldo has scored first in each.
But if Portugal is to thwart Iran, let alone make a true run at the World Cup title, Ronaldo will need some help from his teammates in attack. There have been no goals and very little in the way of support from the likes of Bernardo Silva, João Mário and Gonçalo Guedes.
Furthermore, off the bench, the likes of Ricardo Quaresma and Gelson Martins have shown some flashes, but sooner or later, CR7 is going to need some help and it could very well come in this contest.
Iran Happy to Sit Back
Iran has been a very, very good defensive outfit at the World Cup and more than happy to sit back and absorb attacking pressure. Iran had just 32.2 percent of the possession in their 1-0 win over Morocco on Matchday 1 and 22.3 percent of the ball in their 1-0 loss against Spain.
While it’s true those numbers are shocking, that is Iran’s game plan. Absorb attack and hopefully hit back on the counter with the likes of Sardar Azmoun and Alireza Jahanbakhsh.
Because of the unwavering ability to defend, Iran has cashed UNDER wagers at a nice clip. Looking at their Sportsbook two matches of the 2018 World Cup and taking into account all competitions, UNDER 2 has cashed in four of their last five matches.
This will be an intriguing chess match for footy fans with Iran likely lining up in a 4-5-1 against Portugal’s 4-4-2, so if you’re contemplating totals, maybe have a peek at the UNDER in this one.
Consider a Look at Bookings
Iran has been one of the most booked sides through two matchdays at the World Cup and it could very well be worth your time to have a look at OVER 3.5 (-115) bookings in this game.
Entering Matchday 3, Iran has been booked five times (all yellows) which is three behind leaders Panama, who have a shocking eight bookings.
Assuming an offering of 3.5 bookings in each of their first two matches, the O/U in this prop sits at 1-1 but considering the desperation of the side, there may be some more desperate tackling with the likes of Ronaldo and Guedes flying down the wing.
