Iran look to break Lebanon’s 12-game unbeaten streak on home soil
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Loading...Tasnim – SIDON, Iran national football team is looking to break Lebanon’s 12-game unbeaten run on home soil in the 2022 World Cup qualification.
Dragan Skocic’s side started its campaign to secure the country a third successive FIFA World Cup qualification – and sixth in total – with three wins in a row before being held to a 1-1 draw by the second-placed South Koreans.
The Croatian has not selected Porto striker Mehdi Taremi for the games against both Lebanon and Syria, who it faces on November 16, while defenders Morteza Pouraliganji and Aref Gholami as well as Turkey-based midfielder Ali Karimi have been ruled out due to injury.
The game will be the first between the two countries since they faced off in qualifying for the AFC Asian Cup Australia 2015 in November 2013. The Iranians won that game 4-1.
Lebanon and Iran last met in FIFA World Cup qualifying earlier the same year, with the Carlos Queiroz-coached Team Melli notching up a comfortable 4-0 victory in Tehran’s Azadi Stadium.
Lebanon, who is unbeaten in its last 12 games on home soil, is third in Group A with five points from its first four games and trails the Iranians by five points as the group approaches the halfway point.
Only the top two teams in the group are guaranteed to qualify for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, with the third placed finisher entering into a series of playoffs.
