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Hong Kong will face Iran at the Khalifa International Stadium on Friday in another round of the 2023 AFC Asian Cup group stage.
The Dragons kicked off their Asian Cup campaign with a 3-1 defeat to the United Arab Emirates on Sunday. With Hong Kong a goal down at the break, Chan Siu Kwan finished from close range early after the restart to draw his side level before their opponents reclaimed the lead minutes later and then scored a third and final goal in additional time to clinch all three points.
Hong Kong sit third in their group with zero points picked up so far. They will be looking to shake off their latest result and return to winning ways this weekend.
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Iran, meanwhile, enjoyed a winning start to the continental showpiece as they comfortably beat Palestine 4-1 at the Education City Stadium earlier in the week. Goals from three different players handed Team Melli a comfortable lead heading into the break before Roma's Sardar Azmoun came off the bench to seal the points with a left-footed strike.
Team Melli sit atop the Group C standings with three points from an obtainable three and will guarantee passage to the knockout stages with a win on Friday.
Hong Kong vs Iran Head-to-Head and Key Numbers
- There have been eight meetings between the two teams. Hong Kong have won just one of those games while Iran have won the other seven.
- Team Melli have won their last six games in this fixture, a run dating back to 1977.
- Hong Kong have failed to score any goals in five of their last six games in this fixture.
- The Dragons are without a clean sheet in their last six games across all competitions.
- Iran were ranked 21st in the latest FIFA rankings and now sit 129 places above their weekend opponents.
Hong Kong vs Iran Prediction
Hong Kong have lost their last three matches and are without a win in their last six games across all competitions. They remain without a win in the Asian Cup and will be desperate to end that streak come Friday.
Iran are on a three-game winning streak and are undefeated in their last 14 matches across all competitions. They are in much better form than their opponents and should come out on top here.
Prediction: Hong Kong 0-2 Iran
Hong Kong vs Iran Betting Tips
Tip 1 - Result: Iran to win
Tip 2 - Goals - Over/under 2.5 - Under 2.5 goals (Five of the last eight matches between the two teams have produced fewer than 2.5 goals)
Tip 3 - Both teams to score: NO (Both sides have found the back of the net in just one of their last eight matchups)
