You can currently find this bet for -122 on Tailgate. We like it to -150.
We don’t expect a ton of scoring in this game, and Iran has the best attacking player in Mehdi Taremi, who had a couple of goals last World Cup against England. New Zealand is also very reliant on one guy, Chris Wood, who is still working back from a knee injury. Iran is a very capable team defensively as well, and will look to organize on that end first, and the actual surges forward will be calculated. New Zealand also plays in the Oceania region for World Cup qualifying, and ever since Australia moved to the Asian federation, they just don’t play any real teams, and beat up on the tiny island nations that make up that region. When they do step up and play real World Cup-caliber competition, it often ends badly for them. We think Iran has the patience and finishing touch with Taremi to take all the points from this one. Lock in Iran!