Iran U23 vs China U23 Asian Games Preview
Iran and China will be looking to build on wins in their opening fixtures when they square off in their second Group B match in the football event at the 2026 Asian Games.
Both teams have looked sharp going forward and look set to produce goals in this one.
- Iran U23 have scored in six of their last 10 matches in all competitions.
- Iran U23 have conceded in five of their last eight matches in all competitions.
- China U23 have scored in seven of their last nine matches in all competitions.
- China have scored in four of their last eight matches in all competitions.
Evenly Matched Rivals
Iran and China have picked up one win each from three previous matches at this level. The most recent meeting was an AFC U23 Championship fixture back in 2020, which ended 1-0 in favour of the Chinese.
Solid Start for Iran
Iran made a solid start to their Group E campaign as they claimed a 3-1 victory over United Arab Emirates. Pouria Shahrabadi and Yousef Mazraeh were both on target while they also benefitted from an own goal by Yousif Al-Marzouqi.
That was a solid start to the tournament for Iran, who can qualify for the knockout stage if results go their way this weekend. The result also means they are unbeaten in seven of their last 10 matches in all competitions.
As evidenced by their opening win, Iran are generally solid in attack and have scored in six of their last 10 matches in all competitions. However, they are often open at the back and are without a clean sheet in five of their last eight matches.
China Showing Promise
China head into this clash off the back of a 2-1 victory over North Korea in their opening Group B fixture. They fought back from a goal down, with efforts in each half from Zhang Yuning and Wu Xi earning them the win.
Things have been pretty smooth for China lately, who are unbeaten in nine of their last 10 matches in all competitions. Antonio Puche's team have won the last four fixtures in this run.
Like their rivals, China often look solid in attack and have scored in seven of their last nine matches in all competitions. However, they are also a bit shaky at the back and have conceded in four of their last eight matches in all competitions.
Team News & Predicted Line-ups
Iran (4-3-3): Mohammad Khalifeh; Amin Hazbavi, Mohammad Koohi, Farzin Moamelegari, Masoud Mohebi; Farhan Jafari, Pouria Latififar, Mobin Dehghan; Abbas Kahrizi, Pouria Shahrabadi, Yousef Mazraeh.
Iran have no injuries or suspensions from their opening fixture and are likely to retain much of that team. Shahrabadi and Mazraeh should continue in attack after scoring last time out, while Koohi is set to continue at the back.
China (4-4-2): Li Hao; He Yiran, Liu Haofan, Hetao Hu, Chenjie Zhu; Iminqari Mutallep, Wu Xi, Bin Xu, Alex Yang; Wang Yudong, Zhang Yuning.
China are also likely to stick with much of the same team that won against North Korea. Yuning and Yudong should continue their partnership in attack while Hu is set to feature at the heart of the defence.