This is one group which promises to be action packed with two top sides in Spain and Portugal, and two nations who have a very good defensive record in Morocco and Iran will make themselves pretty tough to beat. 2010 World Champions Spain is looking to bring back its glory days after flopping in Brazil last time, and the reigning European Champion Portugal will not provide them with any breathing space. The first match in Group B of 2018 FIFA World Cup is Morocco vs Iran on June 15 at 8.30 pm Indian time (IST). A total of six matches will be played from June 15 to June 25 by Group A teams in the group stage before they make to the Round of 16 in the knockout stage. Here we take a look at schedule timetable of Portugal, Spain, Morocco, and Iran including match dates, venues, and kick-off times in FIFA World Cup 2018. FIFA World Cup 2018 Schedule in IST for PDF Download: Fixtures, Groups, Time Table with Match Timings & Venue Details of Football WC in Russia.

Cristiano Ronaldo and his boys overcame many obstacles to clinch its first major championship, but things are not the same. Loss of form and fitness sees ten players from the Euro 2016 winning squad being dropped and Coach Fernando Santos spoke of his pain at leaving so many players. They will have to overcome Spain if they have the aspiration to finish top. Spain, on the other hand, is extremely well balanced and has a mix of youngsters like Saul Niguez, Koke and Marco Asensio and the usual old warhorses in Sergio Ramos, David Silva, Gerard Pique to name a few. But both the sides will be wary of Morocco and Iran for possible slip-ups. 2018 FIFA World Cup 23-Man Squad of All the 32 Participating Teams Announced: Check Complete Lineup of Sides in Football WC Russia.

Morocco is on a sixteen game unbeaten run and is back at the World Cup after a gap of twenty years. They have some good individual players like Mehdi Benatia and Hakim Ziyekh playing at the highest level. Coach Herve Renard has been credited with bringing the glory days back for the Atlas Lions and should luck favour, they can come up with the goods. Iran is Asia’s highest rank team and playing in consecutive World Cups for the very first time signifying great consistency with the countries football team. Players like Sardar Azmoun make the World take notice of them, and they will be hoping to be the dark horses of the group.

Group B of 2018 FIFA World Cup Timetable: List of Matches with Kick-off Times

Sr. No. Date Matches Kick-Off Times Venue
1. June 15 Morocco vs Iran 8.30 pm IST Saint Petersburg Stadium,

Saint Petersburg
2. June 15 Portugal vs Spain 11.30 pm IST Fisht Stadium,

Sochi
3. June 20 Portugal vs Morocco 5.30 pm IST Luzhniki Stadium,

Moscow
4. June 20 Iran vs Spain 11.30 pm IST Kazan Arena,

Kazan
5. June 25 Iran vs Portugal 11.30 pm IST Mordovia Arena,

Saransk
6. June 25 Spain vs Morocco 11.30 pm IST Kaliningrad Stadium,

Kaliningrad

Group B Prediction

Spain and Portugal will be the top dogs and them meeting in the first march is a good thing for both Iran and Morocco who are not there to just make the numbers. If either Spain or Portugal finishes without a point after the first round, they will be under pressure to beat both Iran and Morocco, and anything can happen under pressure situations. Teams that progress from the Group – Spain and Portugal.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 08, 2018 02:58 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).