{"id":27823,"date":"2022-11-24T19:35:33","date_gmt":"2022-11-24T19:35:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/ghana\/uncategorized\/bale-to-set-wales-mens-record-against-iran"},"modified":"2022-11-24T19:35:33","modified_gmt":"2022-11-24T19:35:33","slug":"bale-to-set-wales-mens-record-against-iran","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/ghana\/all-news\/bale-to-set-wales-mens-record-against-iran","title":{"rendered":"Bale to set Wales men’s record against Iran"},"content":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Ghana. <\/strong><\/span>Gareth Bale (centre) and Chris Gunter (left) are currently tied on 109 caps for WalesFifa World CupHost nation: Qatar Dates: 20 November-18 December Coverage: Live on BBC TV, BBC iPlayer, BBC Radio 5 Live, BBC Radio Wales, BBC Radio Cymru, BBC Sounds and the BBC Sport website and app. Day-by-day TV listings – Full coverage details<\/p>\n

Wales face Iran in a crucial second World Cup match knowing victory would significantly enhance their chances of reaching the second round in Qatar. Robert Page’s side started with a 1-1 draw against the United States, while Iran were thrashed 6-2 by England.<\/p>\n

Captain Gareth Bale will overtake team-mate Chris Gunter as Wales’ most-capped man if he plays on Friday. “It’s an amazing achievement, it’s an honour to represent my country so many times,” said Bale, who has 109 caps.<\/p>\n

“But it’s more important that we try and get the victory. Hopefully we can and it’ll make it even more special.<\/p>\n

“It will be a difficult game versus Iran – they are a very good team. They are here for a reason, but of course we believe we can beat them.”<\/p>\n

Wales hoping for repeat of history after USA drawWhy Moore is underrated in every way – Williams columnWales’ Allen ‘fit and raring to go’ against IranBale had ‘no doubts’ before historic Wales penaltyPick your Wales side to face Iran in the World Cup<\/p>\n

Bale, 33, is already Wales’ all-time leading scorer in men’s football and he extended his record to 41 goals with a late penalty against the USA on Monday. That match at the Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium, also the venue for the Iran fixture, was Wales’ first in a World Cup since 1958.<\/p>\n

They seemed to be overawed by the magnitude of the occasion during a first half in which they were outplayed by the USA, but Page’s men were much improved after the break and were well worth their point.<\/p>\n

Wales cannot afford to start so slowly against Iran, who they must beat to have a realistic chance of reaching the last 16, with Group B favourites and early leaders England to come in their third and final group game on Tuesday.<\/p>\n

“Iran are going to want a reaction from a disappointing defeat,” said Page.<\/p>\n

“I think they’d have looked at the fixtures and England was a free game for them. I think that’s why the manager changed the shape, he changed it for that game. I think we won’t be too surprised by the formation he picks. Both teams need to win.”<\/p>\n

As Page suggests, this is also an important match for Iran, who will almost certainly be heading for group-stage elimination if they suffer a second defeat from two. Carlos Queiroz’s side had kept clean sheets in six of their previous nine matches before they were crushed by a rampant England side on Monday.<\/p>\n

“For us, the World Cup starts tomorrow [Friday]. We have two games and six points to play for,” said Queiroz, a former Real Madrid manager and ex-assistant to Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United.<\/p>\n

“Welcome to the big show for Wales after 64 years. It is incredible to see the Red Wall in the stadium.<\/p>\n

“Wales play with character. It’s like a party. A football party show.” Team news Page says Wales midfielder Joe Allen is “fit and raring to go” after a hamstring injury which has kept the Swansea City player out since September.<\/p>\n

Having trained alone since Wales arrived in Qatar, Allen joined the rest of the squad for Wednesday’s session. “To have him available is a massive boost for us with two games remaining,” said Bale.<\/p>\n

“Hopefully he can come on or start and he’ll do what Joe Allen does best and cover every blade of grass.” Other than a “few tired bodies” following the opening draw against the USA, Page says his squad is fully fit.<\/p>\n

Striker Kieffer Moore is in contention to start after a game-changing performance as a half-time substitute against the States. Iran goalkeeper Alireza Beiranvand will miss the match after getting concussed and breaking his nose against England. Queiroz said: “There is medical protocol we need to respect and there is no way to move around the protocol, so he will not play.”<\/p>\n

For More News And Analysis About Ghana<\/a> Follow Africa-Press<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Ghana. Gareth Bale (centre) and Chris Gunter (left) are currently tied on 109 caps for WalesFifa World CupHost nation: Qatar Dates: 20 November-18 December Coverage: Live on BBC TV, BBC iPlayer, BBC Radio 5 Live, BBC Radio Wales, BBC Radio Cymru, BBC Sounds and the BBC Sport website and app. Day-by-day TV listings […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":27822,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,17],"tags":[5092,5096,9751,429,2144],"class_list":["post-27823","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-news","category-sport","tag-africa-press","tag-africa-press-ghana","tag-bale","tag-ghana","tag-iran"],"yoast_head":"\nBale to set Wales men's record against Iran - Ghana<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/ghana\/uncategorized\/bale-to-set-wales-mens-record-against-iran\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Bale to set Wales men's record against Iran\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Africa-Press – Ghana. 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