Iran ....... V ....... Nigeria 
Venue: Estádio Joaquim Américo Guimarães (Curitiba, Paraná)
Date: Monday, June 16
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Iran prepare for their opening game of the FIFA World Cup against Nigeria in Group F aiming to cause a surprise in Curitiba. The two nations meet for the very first time in their opening game of tournament hoping to give themselves a strong start in the expected battle for second place behind Argentina. Nigeria have failed to gather any momentum ahead of the tournament with four winless friendlies, including a 2-1 defeat to the United States in Florida last week.
The African nation have a better record in the World Cup than their opponents having reached the knockout stages on two occasions. Under Carlos Queiroz, Iran were the third team to qualify for Brazil 2014 after winning AFC qualifying Group A ahead of South Korea and Uzbekistan, but now the focus is on winning a finals match for only the second time. Having topped their groups at the 1994 and 1998 editions, but their most recent efforts in the world stage have been poor.
The 2002 and 2010 tournaments saw Nigeria finish bottom of their group without registering a single victory. However, former midfielder Emmanuel Amuneke - part of the 1994 squad - has called on the current squad to unite and ensure a good start while not underestimating their first opponents.