Iran - a team guide for the World Cup

Iran missed out on qualification for the 2010 World Cup but now return to the finals under the guidance of Carlos Queiroz.

The former Manchester United coach led Iran to Brazil courtesy of top spot in Asian Qualifying Group A. Beating South Korea 1-0 in their final qualifier made sure of progress and allows Queiroz the chance to manage in his third World Cup, having taken charge of South Africa and Portugal previously.

Introducing European-based players such as Ashkan Dejagah (Fulham) and Reza Ghoochannejhad (Charlton) has boosted the strength of Iran's squad but it will still be a tough task to reach the knockout stages.

Iran’s Group F fixtures

1. Monday June 16: Iran vs Nigeria - Curitiba (20.00)
2. Saturday June 21: Iran vs Argentina - Belo Horizonte (17.00)
3. Wednesday June 25: Iran vs Bosnia and Herzegovina - Salvador (17.00)

Coach: Carlos Queiroz

Queiroz has experience of working all around the globe and has been in charge of Iran since 2011. He's most well known in England for two spells of success as Sir Alex Ferguson's assistant at Manchester United but time in charge of Real Madrid and Portugal adds further sparkle to his CV. It will be a notable achievement if Queiroz gets Iran to progress from Group F and that could once again attract the attention of some of Europe's top clubs.

Star man: Ashkan Dejagah

The Fulham winger is one of the few players in Iran's squad competing outside of their homeland. There have been a few spells of magic from Dejagah at Craven Cottage this season, including a vital winner against Newcastle in March. The 27-year-old has been playing for Iran since a change in FIFA's rules in 2009 allowed him to play for the country despite representing Germany at Under-21 level.

Tournament best: First round 1978, 1998 and 2006.

Squad:

Goalkeepers: Daniel Davari (Eintracht Braunschweig), Alireza Haghighi (Sporting Covilha, on loan from Rubin Kazan), Rahman Ahmadi (Sepahan).

Defenders: Hossein Mahini (Persepolis), Steven Beitashour (Vancouver Whitecaps), Pejman Montazeri (Umm Salal), Jalal Hosseini (Persepolis), Amir-Hossein Sadeghi (Esteghlal), Ahmad Alenemeh (Naft), Hashem Beikzadeh (Esteghlal), Mehrdad Pouladi (Persepolis)

Midfielders: Javad Nekounam (Kuwait SC), Andranik Teymourian (Esteghlal), Reza Haghighi (Persepolis), Ghasem Haddadifar (Zob Ahan), Bakhtiar Rahmani (Foolad), Ehsan Hajsafi (Sepahan).

Forwards: Ashkan Dejagah (Fulham), Masoud Shojaei (Las Palmas), Alireza Jahanbakhsh (NEC Nijmegen), Reza Ghoochannejhad (Charlton), Karim Ansarifard (Tractor Saz, on loan from Persepolis), Khosro Heydari (Esteghlal).

British based players: Ashkan Dejagah (Fulham) and Reza Ghoochannejhad (Charlton).

Sky Bet odds: 2000/1

Coached by former Manchester United assistant manager Carlos Queiroz, Iran are deemed one of the most unlikely teams to win the tournament at 2000/1, the joint-biggest price along with Honduras. However, that is not to say that they cannot make an impact. Asia’s top-ranked side are 14/5 to win their first match against Nigeria and, should they satisfy those odds, their price of 11/2 to get out of Group F will surely shorten, although they can be backed to finish second to Argentina at a better price of 13/2. However, Iran haven’t qualified for the knock-out stages in three attempts at the World Cup.