Outside of Argentina, Group F is a very even playing field. Each team is not expected to make a very impressive run, but should be competitive against one another. Iran and Nigeria are preparing to face off in their first game of the World Cup and while both are not expected to contend for the title, they could put together a strong game against one another. This game might not be the most impressive of the tournament, but it is key to determining the outcome of group play.
Nigeria struggled in qualifying. They failed to put together any kind of creativity in their offense and facing an strong defensive team in Iran will not make that effort any easier. Nigeria has some talent on the roster that can compete if they score early. Victor Moses might have struggled with Liverpool, but he is still talented enough to be an impact player. Ahmed Musa is healthy and looking in strong form. One major issue for Nigeria remains in the loss of Elderson Echiejile. He suffered a torn hamstring in the final friendly before the tournament which puts the team at a loss in the wing spot.
Nigeria has fallen short before. The team fell short in both 2002 and 2010. The team is hoping to reverse the trend knowing that a win against Iran likely gets them out of group play along with Argentina. Nigeria is hoping that Vincent Enyeama can continue his strong defensive skills after he put up some impressive skills against Lionel Messi.
Iran is known more for their defense than offense which could hurt them if they fail to score first. The team will start Daniel Davari in the goal over veteran Rahman Ahmadi. The team finished as the top-ranked team in Asia with the best defensive record, something that could be their x-factor in the World Cup. However history is not in their favorite. The team has one win in the World Cup which came 16 years ago against the United States.
