¡Hello friends!
1.- Being the first of the group has become a vital issue for Spain, especially after the results of the first day. If La Roja got the first place in Group B, it is very possible that it avoided Germany, Argentina, Belgium, Brazil, France and Portugal until the final. In addition, in case of overtaking Portugal, the Spanish team would play eighth, semis and final in the same stadium (Luzhniki) and would only have to make a trip in the second phase of the tournament (to Sochi, for the quarterfinals)
2.- The first tiebreaker criteria, in case of equality to points, is the general difference of goals, so it will be very important for Spain and Portugal to try to defeat Morocco and Iran, in order to get the first place in the group. Yes, whatever happens, Portugal will play its two remaining games against opponents with mathematical options to play the round of 16, while Spain could face in the last match a Morocco already eliminated (if it loses to Portugal).
3.- Iran has not lost an unfriendly match for four years. After losing to Bosnia-Herzegovina (3-1) in the group stage of the previous World Cup, on June 25, 2014, the Asian national team has not been defeated again in official competition matches (they have played four in the Asian Cup, 18 of qualification for the World Cup and one in the final phase of the World), which has added 16 wins and seven draws.
4.- In that run of 23 consecutive non-friendly matches without defeat of the Iranian team, those of Carlos Queiroz have kept their goal unbeaten 18 times. Moreover, in the 14 most recent (unfriendly) matches, only Syria managed to score Iran (2-2 in Tehran, in the last qualifying match of the Iranians for this World Cup).
5.- Iran established a world record ten months ago, after linking twelve consecutive games without conceding a single goal in qualifying matches for the World Cup. They surpassed the previous record of eleven, established by South Korea between 1985 and 1989 and matched by the Republic of Ireland between 1989 and 1993.
6.- Iran does not lose a game (friendly or not) by more than two goals difference from eight years ago. It happened in a friendly played in Abu Dhabi on October 7, 2010 in which they fell against Brazil 3-0. Excluding friendlies, Iran does not fall by a margin of more than two goals for 25 years (3-0 against South Korea in the qualifying phase for the 1994 World Cup).
7.- Spain will play today against Iran for the first time. These are the results of La Roja in their first international match against each of their historical rivals: 69 victories, nine draws and only seven defeats. These are the only seven opponents who defeated Spain in its first confrontation: Belgium (1920), Argentina (1952), Scotland (1957), Finland (1969), Democratic Republic of Germany (1980), Croatia (1994) and Nigeria ( 1998).
8.- Spain has never lost against a selection of the Asian continent. He added eleven victories and two draws (both against South Korea, in the 1994 and 2002 World Cups) in thirteen matches. The two most recent (both friendly) were resolved by five goals difference (5-0 against Saudi Arabia in 2012 and 6-1 against South Korea in 2016).
9.- Spain has only lost once in its second match of the group stage in a World Cup (2-0 against Chile in Brazil 2014). In the remaining twelve remaining matches, La Roja had nine wins and three draws. The only World Cups in which Spain did not win any of its first two games were those of 1978, 1994, 1998 and 2014 and only one of them (1994) managed to overcome the group stage.
10.- Iran occupies the 46th place in the historical classification of the World Cup, with two wins, three draws and eight defeats in thirteen matches played. It only managed to prevail to the United States in 1998 (2-1 in Lyon) and in the party of five days ago against Morocco.
11.- Gerard Piqué will become today the twenty-fourth man in the history of football that reaches 100 international matches with his absolute team in a World Cup and in the second Spanish after Andres Iniesta, who did against Australia in the last match of Brazil 2014.
12.- With Piqué will be thirteen Spanish footballers who have reached 100 internationals, adding to the list integrated by Zubizarreta, Raul, Casillas, Xavi, Xabi Alonso, Torres, Puyol, Ramos, Iniesta, Cesc, Silva and Busquets. All the previous ones won their centennial match, except Raúl and Ramos that tied it.
13.- There are only three selections in the history of soccer with more centenarian players than the thirteen that Spain will have, counting already Gerard Piqué: Saudi Arabia (17), the United States (17) and Egypt (14). The national teams of Germany, Estonia, Iraq and Mexico also appear with thirteen hundred-year-old players.