Morocco vs. Iran: Team News, Live Stream, TV Info for World Cup 2018

Morocco and Iran will kick off Group B at the 2018 FIFA World Cup on Friday, as the two underdogs of the pool seek a slick start in their efforts to pip Spain or Portugal to a place in the round of 16.

It would take a minor miracle for either side to progress past the group stage, which makes this an incredibly important fixture, considering points will be more difficult to come by in their other pool matchups.

The Atlas Lions possess the slightest advantage in World Cup pedigree compared to Iran; each team has made it to the tournament on four occasions, but only Morocco have made it out of the group stage (1986).

The odds are that record won't improve for either team in Russia this summer, but the quest begins on Friday as both seek to surprise the bookmakers.

Here, we take a look at the matchup and offer all the necessary viewing information for the game at the Saint Petersburg Stadium, complete with a match preview.

Date: Friday, June 15

Time: 4 p.m. BST/11 a.m. ET

Venue: Saint Petersburg Stadium, Saint Petersburg

Live Stream: ITV Hub (UK), Fox Soccer Match Pass (U.S.), fuboTV (U.S.)

TV Info: ITV (UK)/Fox (U.S.)

Team News

Injury concerns are fairly minor for both sides, although it's Iran who have more question marks at present.

PersianFootball.com reported Ashkan Dejagah was looking least likely to recover in time for the game out of their four hurt players:

"

‍♂️ Mehdi Taremi, Mehdi Torabi and Ramin Rezaeian rejoin the group training after recovering from minor injuries. Dejagah continues to remain under medical staff supervision.

We are less than 4 days away from our first match vs. #Morocco. Less than 96 hours. pic.twitter.com/txqiDNnJG8

— PersianFootball.com  (@FootballPersian) June 11, 2018"

The return of midfielder Mehdi Torabi could be important, as he looks to improve on a record of four goals in 17 caps, as will forward Mehdi Taremi, who has netted 11 times in 26 appearances.

Morocco have full-backs Achraf Hakimi and Nabil Dirar on their way back from minor injuries, and fan account Maghrib Foot posted encouraging images of the latter back in training this week, though Agence France-Presse (h/t Goal's Dennis Mabuka) reported he still could "miss the event altogether":

Fenerbahce left-back Dirar is a better-known quantity in this robust Moroccan back line, but 19-year-old Real Madrid starlet Hakimi is a quick and promising prospect on the right side of defence.

Preview

In what looks to be a battle of Group B's also-rans, Morocco and Iran will do their bit to ensure Spain and Portugal are at least made to fight for their places in the World Cup knockout stages.

A FourFourTwo panel recently broke down the Group B landscape and concurred Iran and Morocco were the most unlikely qualifiers for the round of 16, although World Cups are made for upsets:

Of the two, Herve Renard's Morocco have looked the stronger of late and are unbeaten in 18 matches, while Carlos Queiroz—who has been in charge of Iran for seven years—has seen his side lose twice in their last five games.

Both teams have their standout talents. For Iran, it's a case of older heads mixed alongside younger prospects, and Nottingham Forest midfielder Dejagah is back for his second World Cup despite barely featuring at club level this season because of a knee injury, per writer Nicolai Lisberg:

AZ Alkmaar attacker Alireza Jahanbakhsh is another gem in the Iranian squad. Football Radars provided a breakdown of his most recent Eredivisie campaign and what he can bring to the table:

Medhi Benatia of Juventus will be a crucial figure in central defence for Morocco, while 24-year-old RS Berkane forward Ayoub El Kaabi is the team's top scorer with 11 goals in nine international appearances.

This summer's tournament is also a prime opportunity for Ajax trickster Hakim Ziyech to strut his ability. Journalist Kristan Heneage has called on the 25-year-old playmaker to realise his potential:

It may be their first fixture of the tournament, but a furious start will be demanded of the team that has ambitions to cause an upset in one of their other Group B games and potentially advance.

A draw, on the other hand, could be disastrous for both Morocco and Iran, who will struggle to unearth the necessary points later in the campaign.