Iran vs New Zealand Prediction: Taremi spells trouble for the All Whites

Iran and New Zealand begin their Group G campaigns at the FIFA World Cup on Monday (6pm local/Tuesday 2am BST, BBC One) in Los Angeles. Team Melli are experiencing their fourth consecutive appearance at the finals but will be hoping they can reach the knockout stage for the first time.

It's been 16 years since New Zealand were last on this stage but they are not in good form heading into this opener. Below you'll find my Iran vs New Zealand predictions, supported by the latest team news and match odds.

Team News

Alireza Jahanbakhsh, Dennis Eckert and Mehdi Torabi are set to miss out on this fixture for Iran through injury. Another doubt is Roozbeh Cheshmi, who'll need to be assessed before the match.

Mehdi Taremi is one of the star names in Team Melli's squad and the striker will be hoping to add to his 60 goals for his country.

New Zealand's hopes look to rest on Chris Wood's shoulders, with the centre-forward scoring 45 goals in 90 appearances. However, the veteran has been plagued with injuries in the past year so he may not be at his peak fitness level.

Ryan Thomas is unlikely to be involved in this opener for the All Whites.

Iran vs New Zealand Odds

Iran have won their past three games and they are 9/10 to come out on top here.

The draw is available at 9/4, while New Zealand are a 10/3 shot to come away with the three points.

New Zealand have blanked in their previous three outings, with BTTS - No marketed at 8/13.

Taremi is a 6/4 shot to have 2+ shots on target (Sub Switch).

Sub Switch - Pre-match Bet Builder and Single bets on qualifying Player selections.

Match Result & Total Goals Over/Under 1.5 - Iran & Over @ 6/4

Based on their form coming into the World Cup, Iran should be fired up for this New Zealand contest, especially given the troubling form of the All Whites.

New Zealand have lost three in a row heading into this clash without scoring a goal, and given the year their star striker Wood's had, they may struggle to have an impact in North America.

Iran have scored 11 goals across their past three fixtures, so I think there will be a couple of goals on offer to them in Los Angeles. Team Melli have scored at least twice in each of their previous three matches, so I've gone for Iran and Over 1.5 Goals.

Anytime Goalscorer - Mehdi Taremi @ 15/8

Taremi is Iran's second all-time leading scorer and the veteran is set for a key role for Team Melli in the next few weeks. He has gained plenty of experience at the top level in Europe with Porto and Inter Milan, and he's now plying his trade at Olympiakos.

He's proven to be a very capable goalscorer on the international stage and he's scored four in as many appearances ahead of this opening contest in Group G, so I'm backing him to find the net at 15/8, which has an implied probability of 34.8%.

Alternatively, you can get him at 17/10 in the Player To Score (Sub Switch) market.