World Cup 2014 Preview, Online Stream, Match Schedule: Iran on the Brink vs. Bosnia-Herzegovina
Iran will try to keep their chances of advancing to 2014 FIFA World Cup knockout stages alive when they face Bosnia and Herzegovina on Wednesday at the Arena Fonte Nova in Salvador, Brazil.
Coming off a painful 1-0 defeat against Argentina on Saturday, Iran needs a win and an Argentina victory against Nigeria in the other Group F match to move on to the next stage. In such a scenario, goals might be in play as to who will advance to the knockout stages.
Iran has not scored a goal in their first two matches, which means that they need to score goals against Bosnia if they want to have a chance of heading into the next round.
Reza Ghoochannejhad has yet to find the mark in the tournament, but he will have a chance to redeem himself on Wednesday, although Iran coach Carlos Queiroz is expected to field an attacking partner for their misfiring striker.
Queiroz is expecting his squad to play with a sense of urgency; he's said the team considers the match against Bosnia and Herzegovina as their World Cup final.
"This is our World Cup final, it's as simple as that," Queiroz said. "We didn't come here to win the trophy, nobody expected that from Iran, but we raised our expectations and we raised our dreams. We want to play the match with one goal in mind -- to fulfil our dream of reaching the last 16."
Although he is also an African as he was born in Mozambique, Queiroz is hoping Nigeria will lose by a wide margin against Argentina in the other match.
"I have nothing against the Nigerians, I'm African myself, but with all due respect, Argentina's victory would put us in a better position," Queiroz said via FIFA.com. "I have spoken to my players and we have to focus on our job, all the rest is in the hands of God."
Bosnia and Herzegovina coach Safet Susic expressed regrets over their failed bid to advance to the next round, but he will look to lead his squad to a win for some redemption.
"Had we had more luck, had we played better and the referees taken more logical decisions we could have been competing for a place in the knockout round," Susic said via EuroSport. "We are very disappointed and I apologize but it was our World Cup debut. We will be looking for some redemption."
Schedule, Date, How to Watch
The Iran-Bosnia and Herzegovina match will start at 12 p.m. EDT Wednesday. It will be broadcast on ESPN and via online streaming through WatchESPN.
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