World Cup warm up: The permutations ahead of Group B’s conclusion on Monday
Spain and Portugal are in the driving seat to qualify for the knockout stage of the 2018 World Cup going into the final round of matches in Group B on Monday evening.
The Iberian rivals have identical records after two matches and the winner of Group B will be decided by which side secures the best result. Spain play Morocco, who are already eliminated from the tournament, while Euro 2016 winners play Iran, who have an outside chance of gate crashing the top two on Monday.
If Portugal and Spain win with identical scorelines then first place will be awarded to the side with the fewest bookings. Portugal have picked up two yellow cards going into Monday’s game against Iran, while Spain have only received one.
Team news and odds in our match preview
Portugal only need a point against Iran to guarantee progression to the knockout phase but could even qualify for the round of 16 with a defeat, as long as Spain lose against Morocco by a bigger margin. The same is true with Spain if the situation is reversed.
Iran are not expected to trouble Portugal, but if Carlos Queiroz’s side can even get a draw then it might be good enough for them to finish in the top two, as long as Spain lose to Morocco by at least two goals.
Portugal have the easier game on paper but Iran still have something to play for and will hope to keep the score level for as long as possible before sneaking a late winner.
Team news and odds in our match preview
The fact that Morocco have already been eliminated may work in Spain’s favour, as that would otherwise be a very tough game for Fernando Hierro’s side. Morocco played some great football in their opening two matches and are desperately unlucky to have nothing to show for it.
Group A will already be decided by the time Monday night’s matches start, which will help the likes of Portugal and Spain know who they could face in the round of 16. The winner of Group B will most likely face hosts Russia, while the runner-up will set up a difficult clash with South American side Uruguay.
