Iran and the United Arab Emirates will lock horns at the Education City stadium in their third Asian Cup clash on January 23.
Who will come out the winner in this game? Here is how bookies rate Iran's and UAE's chances (betting odds power by Betobet):
Iran - 1.65
Draw - 3.65
UAE - 5.89
Iran
After back-to-back wins against Palestine (4-1) and Hong Kong (1-0), Iran have qualified for the playoffs. However, they need at least a draw to make sure they finish the group stage as their group leaders.
There are no serious squad issues except Iran veteran, defender Shojae Khalilzadeh, still recovering from a knock he picked in the cup opener.
UAE
The previous Asian Cup semi-finalist could have secured their place in the knockout stages early but after the 3-1 win against Hong Kong, UAE dropped points against Palestine. In the 1-1 draw against the Palestinians, the Emirates scored both goals.
Considering the UAE were reduced to 10 men after defender Khalifa Al-Hammadi was sent off, the draw wasn't a bad outcome at all.
Besides suspended Al-Hammadi, attacker Ali Saleh will be missing the game as well due to a knock he suffered against Palestine.
Iran vs UAE: Facts to know
Since they were eliminated from the 2022 World Cup, Iran are on a 14-game undefeated streak.
Out of those 14 games, Iran won 13.
In eight of their last nine games, Iran have scored two goals or more.
The Emirates have lost just once in their last 12 games.
Iran vs UAE: Head-to-head
Due to historical and political reasons, that should be a fierce rivalry but in fact, Iran have been dominating here: out of 11 games between the two sides, the Emirates only got two draws and managed to score just one goal. In the remaining nine clashes, Iran were the winners.
Iran vs UAE: Prediction
The Emirates' defence is far from perfect. At the same time, they are a more attacking side than Iran's previous opponents at the Asian Cup. That's why we believe we aren't going to see another 1-0 on the score screen.
