Iran bank on team spirit to beat Nigeria

Nigeria are "a team full of stars" and start as favourite in the Group F match, the former Portugal coach said.

"It will be difficult for us but we have our chance. Our star is team spirit," he said.

Iran are appearing at their fourth World Cup finals and have yet to survive the group stage.

Their only victory came at the 1998 World Cup in France when a team featuring the likes of Ali Daei, Karim Bagheri and Mehdi Mahdavikia defeated the United States 2-1.

Unlike that golden generation, the current crop of players is largely lacking experience of playing in major European leagues.

Captain Javad Nekounam, who has played in Spain at Osasuna but is now with SC Kuwait, said the national team needed players with more international experience,

However Nekounam, Iran's second most capped player after Ali Daei, said the team had the advantage of starting the tournament under no pressure.

"It is one of my great dreams to be here. I hope we can leave the World Cup with our heads held high," the 33-year-old midfielder said.

Iran also face Argentina in Belo Horizonte on June 21 before taking on Bosnia-Herzegovina four days later.

Nigeria go into the match having now sorted out bonus payments, a source of past disputes.

Players have been offered 10,000 dollars each for every win during the group stage - with the World Cup title worth 102,500 dollars per player, the federation said.

A similar dispute over payments led to the team arriving late for last year's Confederations Cup in Brazil.

Nigeria are also waiting 16 years for a World Cup win as coach Stephen Keshi targets a place in the last 16 as minimum target. African teams are getting closer to winning the title, he said on the eve of the game.

Nigeria progressed past the group stage in each of their first two World Cup appearances, in 1994 and 1998. Since then they have gone out twice at the group stage - in 2002 and 2010 - with just two draws from the six games.

Keshi was meanwhile having none of the suggestion by Queiroz that Nigeria were favourites in the game.

"We'll call them favorites too," he told reporters.