Iraq will look to maintain their stunning run of form and secure a place in the next round of Asian qualifiers for the 2022 World Cup when they take on Iran in Group C on Tuesday.
After securing 17 points from seven games, Srecko Katanec's side are two points clear and need just a draw at the Sheikh Ali bin Mohammed Al Khalifa Stadium in Muharraq to win the group ahead of their second-place rivals.
But the Slovenian and former UAE manager Katanec is unlikely to adopt a cautious gameplan against an Iran side who have been scoring at will, including a 10-0 win against Cambodia last Friday.
Iran have now picked up seven straight wins across all competitions, scoring 23 goals and conceding just two, but will find Iraq a tougher proposition.
The leaders have gone an incredible 19 games unbeaten, dating back to a 1-0 loss to Bahrain in the WAFF Championship in 2019.
They continued their brilliant run in the qualifiers with a hard-fought 1-0 win over Hong Kong last Friday, Mohammed Qasim Majid scoring the only goal in the 11th minute.
Top spot will secure a place in the final round of the Asian qualifiers, while the runners-up could also go through depending on other results.
