Curitiba: African champions Nigeria, who have taken just two points from six matches in their last two appearances at the World Cup, face three-time Asian champions Iran in Curitiba in Group F.
"Iran has faced difficulties off the pitch but we want to make our point on the pitch," said Iran's 61-year-old Portuguese coach Carlos Queiroz who cut his teeth as Alex Ferguson's right-hand man at Manchester United.
"The economic and political situation is a complete disadvantage for the team but the players are very determined."
Meanwhile Monday, FIFA chiefs said they would tweak the system of goal-line technology being used at the World Cup after controversy in Sunday's game between France and Honduras.
Iran
The most high-profile player is Dejagah having plied his trade in the Premier League and he's a key figure in attack with his technique and strikes from range.
However, it's the new kid on the block Ghoochannejhad who has got the fans excited
The 26 year-old striker who grew up in the Netherlands currently plays for Charlton Athletic and scored 9 goals in 13 appearances for Iran so far, proving to be crucial to their qualifying campaign.
Skipper Nekounam is the heartbeat of the side. He anchors the midfield and orchestrates their build-up play
Iran have never made it past the group stages in their three previous World Cup appearances and aren't expected to do so this time either.
They would have to pull off a couple of upsets to make it through but preparations for the tournament have been shoddy to say the least and they don't seem to have the team spirit needed to beat the odds
Nigeria
Their strength lies in what they can accomplish in the opposition's half. Emenike is a strong frontman with excellent finishing while the trickery of those in support complements him well.
Onazi and Mikel make for a strong and capable engine room for the Nigerians and the cohesion within the squad is good as well.
They may not have the best defense but they are sufficiently equipped in all departments.
However, several players are prone to inconsistency and they may have to turn to their bench for inspiration.
Nigeria are a relatively solid outfit and should make it past the group stages. Anything less than that would be a disappointment. R
ealistically, a quarter-finals berth should be well within their reach. No African side has made it to the semi-finals yet but if they gain momentum during the tournament,it won't be difficult to see them at the top position
Iran line up: Haghighi; Montazeri, Hosseini, Sadeghi, Pouladi; Heydari, Nekounam, Teymourian, Hajsafi; Dejagah; Ghoochannejhad
Nigeria line up: Enyeama; Ambrose, Omeruo, Oboabona, Oshaniwa; Onazi, Mikel; Musa, Azeez, Moses; Emenike
