Iran Bookmakers Favourites To Beat Hong Kong In World Cup Qualifier

After suffering from a shock 1 nil defeat to Bahrain, it is seen as a blip by bookmakers as they still have Iran as favorites to qualify from the second round World Cup qualifiers. It should come as no surprise given that they have achieved four previous appearances at the world's most prestigious football event. Even after the setback, it is in their own hands to qualify and once they manage to get out of the group stages for the first time. They have only won once at the World Cup, which was back in 1998 against the USA.

Iran faces Hong Kong next in their group C qualification match which takes place at the Hong Kong Stadium. Top bookmakers among those who offer NJ online sports betting have Iran as the firm favorites to win. Hong Kong as huge outsiders to get the result with prices around $41 for the win or $10 for the game to be drawn. There are a few enhanced odds possibilities for more risky bets such as $3.6 for Iran to score within 10 minutes of kick-off or them to keep a clean sheet which is priced around $1.4. Iran was able to beat Cambodia by 14 goals to nil so you may want to consider the $2.55 odds available for them to win by a margin of four goals or more.

If Hong Kong is going to get the win they desperately need to keep them in the hunt for the qualification they will need to do better than the previous meeting between the two teams. They have only won once out of five games that have been played. It is a vital match for them as the result is also counted toward the AFC Asian Cup qualification.

Iran is ranked the 23rd best team on the planet by FIFA while Hong Kong is near the bottom of the pack ranked 143rd. It should come as no surprise why they have such a poor ranking considering they have never made it to the World Cup. The last time they competed at the final stages of an international competition was back in 1968 when they made it to the AFC Asian Cup. Iran, on the other hand, has won the AFC Asian Cup on three different occasions and qualified 14 times.

There is a possibility that the match may have to be played outside of Hong Kong due to the escalating violence seen in the protests. Many thought that by now the protesting would be over but there seems no end in sight. If the Hong Kong national team can achieve the impossible and get the win, it will give the citizens a much-needed boost.

The loss to Bahrain has been a wake-up call for the players and manager of Iran so I expect to see a different attitude when the two meet. I can see it been complete domination with an Iran winning by more than 4 goals. With Iraq and Bahrain still to be played at home, if the team can find the form they should be able to comfortably get through the qualification process to reach the World Cup 2022.